A Memento: The Journal of a Former Phantom Thief
by quirkydragonfly
Summary: WARNING This file is the property of the Public Security Intelligence Agency. It contains top secret information regarding the case of the Phantom Thieves. Do not, under any circumstances, disclose this file or its contents to any civilian unless authorized to do so.
1. Entry 1: The End Approaches

Overdramatic Disclaimer: This game and these characters belong to Atlus and only Atlus. They do not belong to me. I told you, they're not mine! No! Please—please don't hurt me, I'm begging you, PLEASE—! NOOOOOOOOO…

Author's Note: This is a retelling of the game…but it's no ordinary retelling. Because...this fic is also the place where I dump all my headcanons! This fic will include even more adventures, including: an extra palace; an encounter with the Phantom Thieves' American counterparts; lots and lots of references to things like Homestuck, Welcome to Night Vale, Zelda, Hamilton, EarthBound, and too many others to list here; and so much more! Also, in my mind, the protagonist has ADHD and actually needs his glasses (he's nearsighted.)

This is my first fanfic I've ever published, so please go easy on me! I tried to go for a balance of serious and fun, like the game did, and I think it came out pretty okay. I hope you all enjoy! Feel free to leave a review if you think it needs tweaking! Thank you!

* * *

WARNING: This file is the property of the Public Security Intelligence Agency. Contents may be disclosed only to those who have been permitted access to it by the Public Security Intelligence Agency.

This file contains top secret information regarding the case of the Phantom Thieves. It includes a firsthand account written by Kagetsuki Akira, the founder and former leader of the group.

Do not, under any circumstances, read, copy or share this document unless you are specifically required to do so.

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Entry 1

April 9th, 2016

This is it, everyone. The collapse of civilization. At least in Japan. Possibly in other places, too. Not many other people seem to have noticed. (Correction: probably no one else has noticed.) But I have. I've experienced the signs.

I probably sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist. But please hear me out!

This is my story.

For my whole life, I've lived in Ise, on the far outskirts of Tokyo. Pretty small town. Population of around a hundred thousand people. Everyone knows each other, and everyone does their best to help each other. It's a tightly knit community. A safe little bubble. Sure, there always have been tourists who come to visit the shrine during holidays like New Years, but they've never disrupted our lives. And I knew that there was suffering in other places, like Syria and North Korea and the Middle East, but surely our country was doing something to help? At the very least, Japan's government won't become corrupt itself, right? Of course not. Our government is run by smart, kind leaders who have always had the people's best interests at heart. Politicians are essentially social servants. They have to use their power responsibly, or else the voters will kick them out...right?

That's what I believed. Imagine how betrayed I felt when I discovered the truth.

It was a Saturday evening in mid January of this year. As I walked home, I heard shouting further down the road. Two voices - a slurred male voice and a panicked female voice.

"Jus' get in th' car!"

"Stop it!"

"Get in the car!"

"Please stop it! Just let me go!"

I saw them up ahead. As I deduced from their conversation, the bald guy was trying to force the girl into a vehicle. I broke into a run. I might be able to save her. I might be a hero.

"And perhaps," you say, "you believed that your mother and father would reunite because of how proud of you they would be." Thanks for reopening that wound, my imaginary reader. Guess I'll have to write about that later this entry. Anyway...

I'd been replaying Kid Icarus Uprising at that time, and my worldview was saturated with the game's idealism and optimism. I saw everything through a lens of "good always defeats bad and light always banishes the darkness." So, being the naive kid that I was (and still am), I intervened. Not by attacking the guy, just by gently pulling them apart.

The guy definitely smelled like strong alcohol, like whiskey or bourbon or something. When I put my hand on his shoulder and pulled him away from her, he stumbled backwards, pivoted dizzily around, and then fell on his face, leaving a huge scrape on his forehead.

I called the police, and they came and arrested him. The girl was safe, and before I knew it, I had become the town hero.

I also stopped climate change, gave enormous wealth to impoverished countries, stopped all the wars, and cured all diseases. And also, unicorns suddenly became real.

Oh, that was sarcastic, by the way. None of that happened.

Here's what really happened. The dude turned out to be this really powerful politician, and the girl turned out to be his secretary. "Th' police're my bitches!" he slurred at me. The guy told the girl to call the police and tell them that I had "assaulted" him and knocked him down. And to my surprise, she did. When the cops picked me up, I was sure they would side with me, not some random guy from out of town. My best friend's dad is a cop, so they know me personally, and I've never done anything against the law. But they were still all, "He's never seemed like the type who'd beat someone up... But oh well. Drunkass-sama over there said so, so it must be true. Lock him up!"

And so they did, without even questioning it.

However, that wasn't the worst part. This was the worst part: the fact that when I told Okāsan and Otōsan the truth, not even they fully believed me. I know they'll never forgive their son for attacking a complete stranger on his way home from school - even if that wasn't at all what happened.

But enough about me for now. Zoom out. Think of the implications of this incident, not just for me, but for society as a whole. These are the people leading our country. They make the rules. We, the people, let them do what they want, because in our culture, we have to be super polite towards whoever's in charge, or else. So, when we catch a politician in the act of raping his secretary, we don't call the police. Instead, we slowly back off, whispering "We should just politely go away. Wouldn't want to interfere." Which leads to things like my current situation.

In theory, thanks to the efforts of America after the Second World War, we the people are the ones who hold the reins of the government. But in practice, we're not doing a very good job steering! We're all doormats. Everyone's a doormat. The rich and powerful walk all over the lower classes, and we let them. The more we let them, the more they take advantage of us. In all honesty, society hasn't really changed since medieval times, when samurai on horseback were allowed to trample peasants who accidentally got in their way. And if we don't take steps to change our society, in ten years, we might be letting a fascist dictator run the country. The famous "politeness" of the Japanese will be Japan's downfall. If we keep not doing anything, our society will fall, as they say, not with a bang but a whimper.

Now here's some more about my life:

My parents did manage to convince the authorities to lessen my punishment. My sentence had originally been a year in juvenile hall, but now it's just a year on probation. I'm still nervous and sad, however. Starting today, I'm going to be staying with a complete stranger, Sakura Sojiro, going to a completely new school with kids I've never met before, and living right in the middle of huge, bright, loud, overwhelming Tokyo.

"But Akira-kun," you say, "you've been to Tokyo multiple times before! You've even lived in Los Angeles for an entire summer! Los Angeles, of all places! This should be a walk in the park compared to LA, right?" My dear nonexistent reader, you forget that I was accompanied by Otōsan during that summer, and even though Okāsan and Mori-chan weren't there, we texted and called each other every day. Back then, it still felt like we were a family.

In a way, it was kind of like our last gasp.

As the months passed, the gap between them widened and widened. They shouted at each other. Never at me, but always at each other.

They should've been shouting at me, though. I was trying desperately to keep them together, but no matter how hard I tried, I was still the one who tore them apart in the first place.

But since that night in January, Otōsan and Okāsan have, for the most part, barely even spoken to me. We never laugh together anymore. Otōsan rarely comes home from his work anymore. Okāsan is so cold towards me, frost covers the windowpanes when she enters my room.

This morning, Okāsan dropped me off at the train station, muttered "do your best," and drove off without another word.

This is my punishment for tearing my family apart. If you were there when I committed my "crime," dear pretend reader, you might say I don't deserve it. No, I don't deserve to be punished for trying to save that girl. But I do deserve to be punished for what happened during that summer in America... and what I did afterwards.

Their silence is almost worse than their shouting.

I've been kicked out. I am not their son anymore. With their silence, they've disowned me.

And now, here I am-alone. I'm riding into Shibuya, the busiest part of the most populous city in Japan, and I have never felt so alone in all my life.

Wait... I'm not completely alone... I have you, imaginary reader. I always have you.

...Haha, who am I kidding? Look at me, talking to a fucking notebook. Like it can hear me. I'm a weirdo. The only 16-year-old boy in Japan who still has an imaginary friend.

(But I still like to imagine that my nonexistent reader has a deep sexy voice. Sometimes I give him a towering top hat. Occasionally he has these enormous black wings.)

(I swear I'm not crazy. I'm just weird.)

Hopefully, no one ever actually reads this.

This is my stop...

* * *

I'm back! It's now nighttime. I'm sitting in the dusty, cluttered attic of Cafe Leblanc on an old, creaky bed. (I spent most of the day cleaning. It didn't do much to help.) This is where I'll be staying for a whole year.

A couple of really weird things happened today when I arrived at the chaotic sea of people that is Shibuya Crossing. First of all, an app that I didn't download popped up on my phone. I have no idea what its purpose was or how it got there. But there it was, sitting in the middle of my screen and blocking the map I was using. It pulsed at me...kind of mockingly? Like it was taunting me, daring me to press it.

The icon was a red eyeball with a star shape for its pupil...super creepy.

I strongly hope it's not a virus. (It probably is.)

I took the risk of tapping on it, trying to make it go away, and that was when the second weird thing happened. I looked up from my phone and everything, everyone, had just...stopped. Like time had been paused. I felt a presence looming over me, like a sinister god watching me from the sky, and then a pillar of sky-blue flames erupted on the other side of the vast crossing. And...there was a figure, vaguely humanoid but too tall to be human, wreathed in the blue fire. Enormous flaming wings erupted from its back. It was too far away for me to clearly see it, but it looked familiar. The...thing...looked at me and grinned like a maniac, and its eyes were literally glowing yellow. A deep, sexy chuckle echoed from the figure's throat.

I realized with a shock that the creature's face was my own.

A dull roar began in my ears, and for a split second, I could feel myself pushing through threads, like the feeling of walking into a spiderweb, but...weirder. Like I was becoming threads.

When I blinked, the vision disappeared. Time moved again. The roaring had left my head. The threads had vanished.

I slid the app into the trash can icon at the bottom of my screen.

You know what? Thinking back, it must have all been a waking dream - that weird app, time standing still, the blue flames, the shadowy figure standing in them, its eyes burning yellow. I did get up at like 5:30 in the morning today, and I had been playing Fire Emblem: Fates in bed last night till like 11:00-ish, just to take my mind off my situation, so I guess I was (and still am) pretty sleep-deprived...

"But," you say, "you've been more sleep-deprived than this before, and you didn't start seeing strange visions. Could it have been something more mystical? A premonition? An omen? Or what if the app actually did stop time and summon a strange creature wreathed in blue fire?"

Maybe, dear imaginary friend. More likely, it's the combination of stress and anger and worry that I'm experiencing as a result of the my circumstances. An innocent, idealistic 16-year-old boy from a smallish town in the middle of nowhere, falsely accused of committing a crime, rejected by his family and community, exiled to the big city to live with a strange man who doesn't like him. Maybe all this is making me go insane...?

Oh, guess what? The app's back again! I deleted it, but it just popped back up...

Confirmed. It's a virus. Time to delete the stupid thing again. Or try to, at least.

I hate my life.

Actually. You know what?

Screw this. I'm not going to feel sorry for myself any longer. I'll find a way to make the best of my new life in Tokyo. I'll show everyone that I'm a good person. I won't just try to do well in school-I'll excel in every subject. Even math. I'll aim to become the smartest, most proficient student, the kindest, most charming friend, and the boldest, most confident leader. And...when I see a stranger or acquaintance in need of help...I guess I'll just have to try and mind my own business.

...Maybe I can think of ways to help people without drawing attention to myself. Hmm...

Well, I've decided. I swear to myself that from now on, even though we've all doomed ourselves with our cowardice and hesitation, I will OWN my situation. Within the boundaries of my probation, I'll rise from my ashes and become the Naruto of modern-day Tokyo.

Now that I think about it, Naruto and I are actually kind of similar. Naruto has a demon fox spirit sealed within his body. I have ADHD sealed within my brain. And both of us have to work hard to restrain it in order to be a functioning member of society.

But I'm not backing down.

Bring it on.

And on that note...I'm going to sleep.


	2. Entry 2: I Go To Dream Jail

Entry 2: I Go To Dream Jail

April 10, 2016

So...Sakura-san just gave me a probation notebook. I'm supposed to write my daily activities in here and turn it in to him at the end of the year. I love writing, so that works out great. I will do that. But it won't just be a cut-and-dry summary of what happens - I'll go into detail. "Why?" you wonder. Well, dear readers...don't ask me how I know, but something tells me that my year in Tokyo will be a story worth writing and sharing.

Oh, speaking of that, guess what!? I have a new audience! For some reason, I feel comforted knowing that someone other than my imaginary friend will read this. I don't know who you are, but nonetheless, I'm excited to share my story with you.

That said, dear imaginary reader, as well as my actual, non-imaginary reader, I shall now relate to you the rest of my tragic backstory.

My Otōsan works in the American advertising department of Sanrio. Given his line of work, he goes back and forth from America to Japan all the time. Often, these trips take months.

Usually my little sister Moriko-chan and I stay in Japan with my Okāsan. However, two years ago, Sanrio was preparing to officially release their two latest characters, Kirimi-chan and Gudetama, to the American public, and this time, I desperately wanted to come with him and see for myself the mythical faraway land known as the United States. I managed to persuade him, and off we flew to spend three months in Los Angeles.

That was how I learned to read and speak colloquial English.

That was also how I learned, completely by accident, that Otōsan was cheating on my mom with a coworker from the American branch.

When we got back from the US, I should have just stayed quiet and let the matter slide. I didn't. I told my mom what I had seen, and it tore my family in two. The last two years were spent with my parents arguing in the background over which one of them would get custody over my sister and/or I. Mori-chan has already made up her mind. She wants to stay at home with my mom. All her friends are there, and I don't blame her for not wanting to say goodbye.

As for me... I couldn't decide, and I still can't decide. I care about both of my parents equally, and picking favorites just seems cruel to the other person.

To distract myself, I did lots of side projects. I wrote tons of short stories. I performed in school plays. I read lots and lots of world history books (I've always been interested in history), lots and lots of novels, and lots and lots of manga. My English-reading skills came in handy when I discovered a sprawling, genre-defying American web comic called Homestuck. (I honestly was sort of delighted when I discovered I needed glasses last year, because then I could look more like John Egbert, one of the main characters.) And after I finished it, I joined an international effort to translate it into Japanese. (It still hasn't been finished as of now.)

But most of all, I played video games. Zelda, Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Kid Icarus Uprising, Okami and Okamiden, Shadow of the Colossus and Ico, Ni No Kuni, the Dark Souls games, Bloodborne...games upon games upon games. I distracted myself from my real world problems by pretending to be someone else. By pretending to be a hero in a fake, intangible world.

I didn't talk about my interests with anyone but my sister and my closest "friends," though. (The word "friends" is in quotation marks because they didn't believe me either. They sided with the drunk guy who I "assaulted.") That incident made me more aware than ever of how weird I was and how destructive I could be if I wasn't careful. After all, when I embraced who I was - loud, talkative, impulsive and hyperactive - I ended up wounding my family beyond repair. I didn't want anyone else to get emotionally hurt in the wake of my craziness, so I toned it down. I pretended to be "normal." I didn't even mention to my English teacher that I was translating an American webcomic into Japanese. I probably could've gotten extra credit if I had.

And then, two months ago, had a relapse. I tried to be a hero in real life. I thought it would fix everything. Spoiler alert: It didn't. It just made things worse.

But I think I know why I can't decide. As I explained in my last entry (which I printed out and taped into my notebook), it's because I was the cause of their break up. My words ripped them apart. I keep holding on to the hope that they'll somehow get back together, but honestly, that's very, very unlikely. I don't want to live with either of them, because I don't want to wound them any further.

"Maybe spending some time apart from them will help you choose," suggests my imaginary friend.

Actually...? Maybe it will.

Disclaimer: Imaginary friend is not real. He is imaginary. I do not physically hear his voice. If an interesting, unusual or insightful thought pops into my head, I transcribe it and attribute it to imaginary friend. I am in full control of my brain. I promise I am (probably, hopefully) not crazy. (I try not to be.)

In fact...I'm going to stop calling my thoughts my "imaginary friend/reader," just so that I can sound a little less crazy.

Here is what happened today.

Last night I had a weird dream. It was incredibly vivid. I think it was a lucid dream. My brain was obviously trying to tell me something about my crazy life, since it sticks in my mind so clearly. But I don't know what it was about.

The first thing I noticed in the dream was the aroma. It was like vanilla, only more floral, and it made me feel almost high. Even though I had never experienced it before, I recognized it: this was the scent of the Egyptian Blue Lotus flower. How did I know this? I don't know. Dream logic.

I opened my eyes and found myself lying on a cot in some kind of prison (sex prison?), in a cell padded with blue velvet. Everything seemed to be tinted blue and purple-the velvet on the walls, the tiles on the floor and ceiling, even the light. The air was chilly, and somehow I knew that this place was deep underground. I looked down and noticed I was wearing an old-fashioned black-and-white striped jumpsuit. My hands were bound together by metal handcuffs, and a ball and chain was attached to my ankle.

The striped outfit was scratchy, and the handcuffs were heavy and cold on my skin. This dream felt like real life.

What the hell...?

I got up and looked out from between the metal bars of my cell, and I was greeted by two tiny blonde-haired girls in matching blue uniforms and hats, one wielding a baton and the other holding a clipboard. They stood side by side, smiling slightly. Behind them, I could see a circular, tall-ceilinged room with prison cells lining its walls, kind of like a main hub, and in the center of this room was a desk. There was a third person sitting at it, staring at me, grinning. He was a hunched-over, white-haired man with a comically long nose, pointy ears, and black eyebrows like those of a great horned owl. Correction: not really a person. A caricature of one. He reminded me of a marionette puppet.

"Trickster," the long-nosed puppet thing said, grinning at me, his voice a deep, unsettling growl, "welcome to my Velvet Room."

He introduced himself as Igor, and his two blonde loli attendants as Caroline (the bad cop) and Justine (the good cop). Igor explained that this place existed between dream and reality, mind and matter, and that only those who were bound by a contract could enter. He also said that its appearance changed based on the state of the visitor's heart. A prison... huh.

I gripped the bars and demanded they let me out, and Caroline whacked me with her baton, which turned out to be electrified. "KNOW YOUR PLACE, INMATE!"

Igor said that "ruin" would befall me in the future, and in order to avoid it, I had to be "rehabilitated towards freedom." I was like, "wait what? Hasn't ruin already befallen me? I mean, my parents hate each other because of my actions, I was branded a criminal for trying to save someone, and I was kicked out of my home, so I don't think I have much to lose, but...okay." I was utterly confused.

And then a bell rang. "Time's up!" Caroline (the bad cop) shouted. "Enjoy your rest!" The room faded away, and eventually I became aware that I was lying on my futon in the attic of Cafe Leblanc, staring at the dusty ceiling.

"Enjoy your rest," my ass.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful...for me at least. Sakura-san drove me to my new school, Shujin Academy (haha, "prisoner academy" - so fitting), to "properly introduce me" to the staff. This included my homeroom teacher, a quiet woman named Kawakami-sensei, and the principal, Kobayakawa-sensei, who has no neck and looks like an egg. And...they hate me. Even though this was the first time they've ever met me, they just automatically assumed I'm a criminal and a thug. They should have at least given me the benefit of the doubt...

Oh yeah, and you know who else doesn't like me? Sojiro-san. He's been making it awfully clear that he doesn't trust me and that he'll only be doing the barest of minimums to help me. On the car ride home (which ended up being more of a car wait, because horrible traffic) he told me that basically the only reason he's supporting me and letting me sleep in the Leblanc attic is because the government or my parents or someone had payed him to.

But...wishing won't help me. This is now my reality, and I accept it. It'll be hard, but I will win their trust. I'm determined to make the best of my situation. Even though it sucks.

Speaking of the car ride, the main reason why we went in the car was because of an accident that took place on the subway. It was all over the news. The guy who was driving it suddenly went brain dead while the train was still moving. "The subway system is experiencing technical difficulties," the voice on the PA understated, as the train derailed and came smashing into the station, killing 80 people. And that's one more reason why I hate public transportation.

(I will be taking the train to school tomorrow, though, so I guess I'll just have to adapt.)

When we got back to the cafe, Sakura-san gave me this diary and told me to write my daily activities in it. I'll return it to him at the end of the year. So, from now on, I'll use this diary for writing journal entries instead of my phone.

Oh and speaking of my phone, guess what's back? That weird app. Guess it's time to delete it again.

Welp, tomorrow's the first day of school at Shujin, so I better get to sleep. Bye.


	3. Entry 3: Shit Gets Super Weird

Entry 3: Shit Gets Super Weird

April 11, 2016

Hello again, readers. As the title of this entry implies...today, shit got weird.

Super weird.

So, remember in the last entry when I insisted that I wasn't crazy? Well...I think I might have spoken too soon. Prepare yourself, readers. Because just to reiterate...today, things get weird. Incredibly, unfathomably weird.

The day started out relatively normally. Sakura-san made me curry for breakfast, which was delicious and really generous of him. (He acts like I don't matter, but I think he secretly does cares about me. :3) After a bit of confusion regarding the stupid subway system, I finally found my way to Aoyama-Itchome, where Shujin Academy is located. I had about 30 minutes before school began. It had started raining while I was in transit, and I forgot to bring an umbrella, so I stood under a shop awning as I checked my phone for directions. Once again, the red eyeball app popped up, superimposed over my map. I was about to delete it for the third time, but then someone else approached the awning. A girl. She was wearing her Shujin Academy uniform jacket over a red and green hoodie, as well as red leggings below her skirt.

(I also couldn't help but notice how beautiful her figure was...)

She stood under the awning and pulled her hood back, revealing two long, wavy pigtails that cascaded down her neck. Her hair was so blonde it was almost white, and her eyes were sky blue-a foreigner? I noticed a four-leaf clover symbol printed on her hood. Would standing near her bring me good luck?

The mystery girl turned her head and met my gaze, and I realized with a jolt that I had been staring at her like a gross pervert. But then she smiled at me. It wasn't a smirk or a sneer. There was no malice in her blue eyes. It was just an acknowledgment. A greeting in the form of an expression.

I...didn't say anything. I was frozen. I need to practice talking to girls...

Fortunately (unfortunately?), someone drove up to us in a gray car, interrupting our awkward silence. The driver rolled down his window, and I caught a whiff of cologne and something less appealing that I couldn't quite put my finger on. "Good morning," he said. He looked to be maybe in his 30's or 40's, and he had wavy black hair and the biggest, most rectangular chin I've ever seen in my life. "Want me to give you a ride to school? You're gonna be late..."

Recognition dawned in the blonde-haired girl's eyes when she saw him, and she shifted her weight uncomfortably. Her smile became forced. She must know this guy, I thought. "Um, sure, thank you," she said, climbing into the passenger seat.

"Do you need a lift too?" the guy asked me.

"No..." The car drove away. I couldn't quite put my finger on it right then, but something about their interaction made me uncomfortable. Something was definitely off about this guy. I didn't have any more time to ponder on it right then, though, because yet another Shujin Academy student ran by, apparently chasing after the gray car. He had short, spiky blond hair (obviously dyed-it was dark near the roots) and he looked pretty pissed.

Angry blond kid: Dammit! Screw that pervy teacher!

Me: Pervy teacher?

Angry blond kid: What do you want? You planning on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?

Me: ...who?

Angry blond kid: Huh? In that car just now, it was Kamoshida.

Me: Oh, you mean Rectangle Chin.

Angry blond kid: (humorless laugh!) Yeah, him. He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is, the king of a castle?

Me: King of a castle...? Sorry...I don't know who he is...what subject does he teach?

Angry blond kid: ... Wait, you don't know Kamoshida? Are you for real?! You're from Shujin, right?

Me: So you go there too...

Angry blond kid: You're joking me. You're wearing a Shujin uniform. (Notices my 2nd-year badge) Hey, a 2nd-year! We're the same grade then. Never seen you before, though...

Me: I'm a transfer student. I just got here.

Angry blond kid: Oh, then no wonder you don't know him! He teaches PE. (Gestures for me to follow) This rain ain't too bad. We better hurry up, or we'll be late.

My finger brushed my phone screen and my vision momentarily flashed purple. And I had that feeling again, like I was walking through a spiderweb, except this time, the threads felt a lot more solid. I could feel the threads grow taut and then break against my skin. I felt weightless and slightly nauseous. My ears rang.

Angry blond kid: Ughggghh, my head hurts... dammit I wish I could just go home...

Now this is the part where it gets strange.

We walked down an alleyway and arrived at the school. Except...it wasn't the school.

It was a towering European Medieval-style castle, like those built during the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries, complete with a drawbridge and a moat. The sky was an ominous swirl of red and purple, and the air was warm and humid. I smelled cologne once again, but beneath that was something else - a very masculine scent. Was that...body odor?

"The sign says Shujin Academy," I said slowly, "but I visited the school yesterday, and...it definitely didn't look like this..."

"We didn't come the wrong way, either," the other kid said. "What's goin' ON here?!"

"Maybe someone inside knows? It does say Shujin..."

Ignoring the powerful bad vibes that this place was giving off, I approached the castle, with the other kid (at that point, I still hadn't gotten his name) following my lead.

The inside of the building was also furnished like a castle, with a high ceiling, wood-paneled walls, gothic-arch-shaped windows, and a tiled floor covered with a red carpet. A glittering chandelier lit up the place, supplemented by candles hanging from sconces on the walls. But it still smelled like BO. In fact, the scent was even stronger inside. The cologne didn't do a very good job of covering it up.

"I'm definitely beginning to think that we made a wrong turn," I said, staring up at the arched ceiling.

"Out of service?" the other kid muttered, checking his phone. "Where'd we end up? Some kinda other universe?"

"Probably not, but that would be pretty interesting," I responded.

Our conversation, which would soon prove to be strangely prophetic, was interrupted by the deafening sound of metallic footsteps. We couldn't see the face of whoever approached us, because they were clad from head to toe in a literal suit of metal armor. They held a sword and a shield and wore a creepy mask over their face.

"Geez," said the blond-haired kid, "you freaked me out! Who're you? You a student?"

"I doubt it," I said. "Maybe they're staff? Why'd they be wearing armor, though, if that's the case...?"

"Uh, excuse me," the loud kid asked the person in the armor, "you wouldn't happen to know where the main building of Shujin AcadAAAAAAUUUGGHGH!" Suddenly, three more armored guys appeared, and before I knew it, he was on the ground, crushed under a heavy shield. Then suddenly, I was also on the ground. Everything went dark.

"Take them away!"

* * *

When I came to, I could hear water running somewhere. I opened my eyes. I was lying on a rotting wooden bench covered in a thin blanket, with the blond kid standing over me looking indignant at the situation. Guess where we were? Yep, ANOTHER fucking prison cell.

Except this time, it was different. The walls weren't covered in blue velvet, but made of slimy, moss-covered stone. Instead of the seductive perfume of the Egyptian Blue Lotus, the air was filled with the less-than-pleasant scents of death, mildew, poop, and you guessed it - body odor! The bars were rusty. Chains dangled from the walls. Everything was damp and a little bit slimy. Bugs fluttered and crawled around. Wooden barrels were placed around the room, like taunts. 'Try to escape under one of us!' they seemed to be saying. 'Oh wait-that only works in video games! Joke's on you!'

Blond kid: You all right?

Me: Physically, yeah. Mentally... I'm not sure. What about you?

Blond kid: Yeah, more or less. Looks like this ain't no dream... Gyaaah! What's goin' on?!

(He ran over to the cell bars and banged on them.) Hey, let us out of here! I know there's someone out there! ...Dammit, where are we? Is this some kinda TV set?!

Me: I bet this is. I bet we got selected for some new screwed-up reality TV show.

Blond kid: HOW ARE YOU SO EFFIN' CALM!?

Me: I'm not. I'm just really good at hiding my fear. I took theater classes. (My hands were trembling.)

Blond kid: Shut up! Someone's coming!

CLANK, CLANK, CLANK, CLANK. I recognized the footsteps of the masked, armor-clad guards from earlier. A horde of them approached us.

"Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon," one of them said. "Your charge is unlawful entry. Thus, you will be sentenced to DEATH."

"Say WHAT?" Blond Kid exclaimed.

"That seems a little unfair," I ventured cautiously. "Maybe you guys are overreacting?" (This is a really vivid bad dream about school, I told myself. It has to be. It can't be real. I'm probably going to wake up in a second.)

"No one's allowed to do as they please in MY CASTLE," someone else said, stepping forth. The guy was burly, and he wore a red robe lined with white fur and covered in a pattern of pink hearts. A golden crown rested on his head, and he sported wavy black hair and a stupidly rectangular chin. He stared at us with glowing yellow eyes. He looked so familiar...

"Is that you, Kamoshida?!" blond kid said.

It was the guy from the car! The "pervy teacher" who had offered to drive the blue-eyed girl to school! But...why the fuck was he dressed like that? And...his eyes were yellow. Were they yellow before? No... I definitely would've noticed.

(This has to be a dream. I have to be dreaming. I had a really vivid dream last night, too. This is probably just more of the same.)

"I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it'd be YOU, Sakamoto-san," growled the king. His voice sounded warped. "Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven't learned your lesson at all, huh?" He turned to me. "And you brought a friend? Didn't know you had any friends..."

"Uh, what is going on here?" I said to the person who looked like but might not have been Kamoshida.

"Yeah, this ain't funny, you asshole!" the blond kid called Sakamoto fumed.

"Is that how you speak to a king?!" roared the yellow-eyed version of Kamoshida. "It seems you don't understand the position you're in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting ME, the KING! The punishment for that is death!" He raised his hand in a sweeping gesture, revealing that he was literally wearing nothing but a pink thong beneath his fur-lined robe. "It's time for an execution!" he bellowed. "Take them out!"

(I'm okay. I'll be okay. I'm not going to die in reality if I die in a dream...right?)

I pinched myself. It hurt. I didn't wake up.

A feeling of dread started to rise in my stomach.

Oh god.

Holy shit.

This isn't good.

The cell door opened, and Sakamoto was surrounded by the guards. This was easily the scariest and most surreal experience I've ever had in my entire life.

The loud blond kid tackled one of guards over. "I ain't down for this shit! C'mon, we're outta here!" But then another guard knocked him down.

In any other circumstances, I would have just run, but I didn't really know what to do. This was too...strange. And besides, I didn't want to leave Sakamoto lying there wounded. I was frozen with indecision.

"Just go! Get outta here!" he shouted to me. "These guys are serious!"

I hesitated, still paralyzed. Still indecisive.

"Oh?" the yellow-eyed man in the robe thundered. "Running away, are we? What a heartless friend you are!"

"He ain't a friend! Come on! Hurry up and go!" (I was slightly wounded.)

"What's the matter? Too scared to run away? Hmph, pathetic scum isn't worth my time..." The "king" narrowed his eyes at Sakamoto and a sinister grin spread across his brick-shaped face. "I'll focus on this one's execution."

Then the guy literally walked over and punched Sakamoto in the face. "Take THIS!" *punch* "Lowly SCUM!" *punch punch* "Useless PEST!" *punch punch kick* The blond kid crumpled to the floor, and the tyrant spat on him. "Hmph. Where'd your energy from earlier go?" One of the armored guards lifted him up by his shirt collar and threw him onto the ground. The man loomed over the boy and spat in his face.

"I'll have you killed right now," he snarled.

I picked my jaw up from the floor and decided that I had to intervene. I took a deep breath, steeling myself.

"Wait! Stop it!" I said. "Are you out of your mind?! What's your problem? Maybe if you just calmed down and then talked it out...no one would have to get hurt...?"

"Hmm?" The square-jawed man growled, eying me. "What?" He came over and got up in my face. He was so close, I could smell his gross breath. "Don't you dare tell me you don't know who I am."

I glared and didn't say anything. He kicked me, knocking me against the wall. "Hold him there," he commanded his iron-clad guards. "After the peasant, it's his turn to die." I rushed towards Sakamoto, but the guards grabbed me and held me back. The tyrant approached him, laughing maniacally like a super villain. I didn't know what was happening, but at this point, I didn't care. All I understood was that an innocent student was about to be murdered by a teacher, and I couldn't save him. Just like I couldn't save that girl from being abducted. Just like I couldn't save my family from being torn apart.

I should've just walked past them.

I should've kept my mouth shut.

If I hadn't interfered, then none of this would have happened...

I squeezed my eyes shut.

This is the way the world ends...

Not with a bang, but -

 **What's the matter?**

 **Are you really going to just stand there?**

My thoughts were interrupted by a new voice. The voice was as deep as the night sky, and also a little bit sexy. Unfamiliar, yet...familiar. Where was it coming from?

With a jolt, I realized it was coming from inside my lungs. My mouth moved on its own, forming the words this voice was speaking. There was a dull roar inside my head, growing louder, like a plane taking off. Time seemed to slow down. Pain shot through my head. Someone or something was pounding on the inside of my skull with a jackhammer.

 **If you continue to do nothing, he will surely die.**

 **You're on your own now.**

 **Your family can no longer guide you.**

 **Akira-kun...**

 **Do you remember what you wrote on the train to Shibuya?**

Holy shit...is this who I think it is?

 **Your family, your teachers, your friends, your new guardian...**

 **What have they been telling you?**

They told me to mind my own business. To keep my nose out of other people's problems.

 **So will you? Will you surrender and adhere to the same expectations that you, yourself, realized were unjust?**

For a second, I was back in my hometown, sitting at the dinner table, explaining what I had seen my dad doing. Then I was in my bed, listening to my parents arguing downstairs. Then I was approaching the woman and the drunk man. He stumbled to the ground. I watched as, once again, my family, teachers, friends, everyone I had looked up to and trusted, turned their backs on me.

 **Will you take the easy way out?**

The guard lifted Sakamoto up against the wall and held him there, a blade aimed at his chest. He prepared to strike.

"I'm done being a bystander," I whispered.

 **Very well,** the voice in my lungs-the voice of my "imaginary friend"-roared. **I have heeded your resolve.**

With a wrenching pain, my consciousness was ripped in two. I was in the room, but I was also suddenly suspended in darkness, floating in the void. Far below me, I saw myself, held back by two suits of armor, screaming in agony. Nails were being drilled into my skull. The darkness of the void threatened to consume me.

 **VOW TO ME.**

 **I AM THOU. THOU ART I.**

I looked towards the sky and saw, looming above me, a dark planet of awesome size, lit by no sun; an invisible titan, all thick black forests and jagged mountains and deep turbulent oceans.

 **THOU WHO ART WILLING TO PERFORM ALL SACRILEGIOUS ACTS FOR THINE OWN JUSTICE!**

 **CALL UPON MY NAME, AND RELEASE THY RAGE!**

The voice of my other self echoed painfully through my mind. I reached up into the claustrophobic blackness, toward the shadowy planet. I could feel its awareness of me, like a sinister god watching me from above. I was so close to touching it.

 **SHOW THE STRENGTH OF THY WILL TO ASCERTAIN ALL ON THINE OWN,**

 **THOUGH THOU BE CHAINED TO HELL ITSELF!**

My hand closed around the vast, dark sphere and a sudden surge of boldness overwhelmed me. My eyes opened.

"Execute him!" the king bellowed, pointing to Sakamoto.

"Actually," I calmly suggested, "how about you all go fuck yourselves?"

He slowly turned his head towards me. "What was that?" The guard released the blond-haired kid. The "king" advanced towards me. "You desire to be killed THAT MUCH...? FINE!" He gestured with his brick-shaped chin, and a shield slammed into my face, knocking my glasses off.

And that was the last straw.

No one touches my glasses.

NO ONE.

The faceless guard in front of me raised his sword, but I was far above, floating in nothingness. The dark planet had disappeared from the void. In my hand was a mask, carved from bone.

I plunged back into my own body. The mask was on my face now, fused to my skin like an exoskeleton. The mask, retrieved from that sunless planet. A physical manifestation of my soul. The essence of who I was.

I braced myself and PULLED, tearing the mask away like a bandage. Several layers of skin came off with it in the process. Blood spurted. It was painful and gross, but also...satisfying. Blue fire engulfed me, burning away my tame school uniform, changing it into... Well, I didn't have time to look at my sweet new threads right then, but it was probably pretty badass.

The fire took shape, solidifying into a towering humanoid figure behind me. Bloodied, razor-sharp claws grew from the creature's fingers. Flaming eyes glowed under the brim of its freaking huge top hat. Feathery wings as black as the void of space unfurled from its back.

As the creature emerged, the darkness that lingered in the corners of the room flowed to his hands like mercury

 **I AM THE PILLAGER OF TWILIGHT...ARSENE!**

Arsene...as in...Arsene Lupin, the fictional gentleman thief?

 **Yes. The very same.**

I just literally used magic to summon my imaginary friend. My... imaginary friend. In a random castle that just... appeared where Shujin should've been.

Nothing makes sense anymore...

And it's AWESOME!

* * *

It's getting super late, and I am dead tired, so I'm going to try to wrap this up quickly.

The king's minions shed their armor, morphing into little floating pumpkin creatures. They tried to attack, but we didn't really give them a chance to do that, because Arsene had literally grabbed their shadows, rendering them unable to move. While they were incapacitated, I cut them down using my dagger.

Oh, I forgot to mention: I have a dagger now. It appeared in my hand after I pulled off my mask. Also, apparently, Arsene can control shadows.

After I defeated the fire creatures, my clothes changed back to my normal school uniform. We snatched the keys, locked the king in the cell and attempted to get the hell out of the castle.

Along the way, we found a...cat-like creature that was also locked up. He calls himself "Morgana." We weren't really sure whether to trust him or not, but we decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and set him free. Turns out that we made the right choice. He has a Persona too (Zorro), and he taught me how to sneak up on enemies and attack their weak points for mass damage. With his help, we found our way out of the castle.

But, here's the weirdest thing. As we walked away from it, I glanced back over my shoulder, and... it... it was suddenly the school.

At this point, the euphoria of suddenly gaining the ability to summon demons had worn off, and the utter weirdness of the situation began to sink in.

So weird. I don't understand.

Anyway! When we arrived at the normal version of Shujin, it was around noon. I told Kawakami-sensei that I hadn't been feeling well (which was true), and that I got completely lost (which was also true), and that some crazy person kept bothering me (which was also true; the crazy person being Kamoshida). She raised her eyebrows, but she didn't ask any more questions.

Compared to my morning, the rest of the school day was...a bit lackluster. Class happened. It was meh. I went straight home afterwards. I couldn't help but notice the whispers, though. "There he is... the transfer student!" "I heard that he killed someone!" "I heard he raped a girl!" "I heard that he drinks, smokes, AND does drugs!" "I heard that he carries a knife and/or gun to school!" "Better not make eye contact with him...he might snap!"

How did people know about my record?

This is going to be a long year.

My mind kept drifting back to the mysterious blue-eyed blonde girl who smiled at me under the awning this morning. Her family name, I heard, is Takamaki-both a Finnish and a Japanese name. To my surprise, I found out that we're in the same class and that she sits right in front of me. I looked around a bit after school. When I finally found her, she was in the hallway, talking with a girl with dark hair. Her dark-haired friend looked horribly beat up. There were bruises on her face. Takamaki-san also seemed to be pretty downtrodden. I wanted to approach them, to ask if everything was okay... but I couldn't. I didn't have enough guts.

"Ann-chan," the dark haired girl had called her. So her name was Ann.

A thought occurred to me during the train ride back to Leblanc. When I arrived at the cafe, I asked Sojiro-san if he had put anything...unusual in my curry this morning (e.g. LSD or mushrooms of a certain variety), but he didn't seem to know what I was talking about, which was a slight relief. Though I don't know why he might have done that anyway.

Also, I now have Sakamoto Ryuji-kun's phone number, so we can text. So that's cool.

We went up on the roof after school and discussed the interesting stuff that happened this morning, trying to wrap our brains around it. My first thought when we left the weird castle was that maybe I was going crazy. I think I read somewhere that the first symptoms of schizophrenia usually appear during your mid-teens, like 15 or 16 years old. If that's what's happening to me, well, I think I'm probably screwed. But it's kind of comforting to know that someone else saw what happened, and that I probably (hopefully) didn't dream it all. (But...what if I made Ryuji-kun up too?! ...Nope. Too tired to think about that. I have to go to bed.)

But...

There was a phase that I went through, when I was like seven years old, where I constantly looked for portals to other worlds. I was convinced that if I looked hard enough, I would find one. I was sure that someday, I'd stumble through some kind of mystical gateway and find myself in a place like Middle Earth or the Spirit Bathhouse from Spirited Away. But after searching for almost a whole year without any luck, I reluctantly gave up.

I decided that if I wasn't going to find any other worlds, then the next best thing would be to create my own. That was when I chose to become a novelist. (I wasn't very good at writing stories at first, of course. Since I was seven.)

But that brings us back to today. My point is, if I wasn't dreaming or going crazy, and if we actually did find a portal to another dimension, and if I actually did literally will my imaginary friend into existence...

Then the universe is freaking late! It should've granted me access to that other world years ago!

 **The universe was not, as you say, "late,"** says the voice of Arsene, his words reverberating through my mind. **It was merely waiting.**

Waiting for what, exactly?

Also, how can you talk here?! Can anyone else hear you?

 **Suffice it to say... The Metaverse is a dimension running parallel to the physical world. It is a world where the darkest aspects of one's soul are made manifest. If the fates had granted you access to that place when you were a child, you most surely would have died, since your spirit had not developed enough for you to summon me. And as for your second and third questions, you need not worry. I am in your mind. No one but you can hear me at this moment.**

"At this moment...?" What does that mean?

Hello?

...And he goes silent.

Wow. I suddenly realized how tired I am. It's...what is it, eleven? I'm tired, but I'm also pretty worried and confused. I'm not sure if I can trust this voice in my head, since it's a voice in my head, so, you know, I might be going crazy. It's definitely a possibility.

But on the other hand, if I'm not crazy, then... oh, man... that would be awesome!

In any case, here's what I know for sure: I'm definitely going to have to find out what that castle is.

And I will do that tomorrow.

* * *

Hi! Author here! So sorry about the weird text that keeps popping up when I try to publish a new chapter-you know, "class=numbers blah blah blah" and all that. I think it happens when I take a break from writing and my computer goes to sleep, but the Fanfiction tab is still open. I guess I'll just have to finish each new chapter in one sitting from now on! Thank you for your patience!


	4. Entry 4: Samsung Impresses Me

Entry 4: Samsung Impresses Me

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that I'm sane! It really happened. The other world, the castle, everything...it's all real. We DID visit another plane of existence.

Should I try and contact someone like NASA or some famous theoretical physicist, like Steven Hawking or Michio Kaku or...

Actually, that'd be a terrible idea. It'd only draw more attention to myself.

So now the bad news: Said castle is Kamoshida's perception of the school. He is, in fact, a horrible, disgusting asshole who doesn't care about anyone but himself. He was the one who broke Ryuji's leg, and he also might be (scratch that, he almost certainly IS) trying to...do things with/to Takamaki-san. Which begs the question... why the hell did they hire someone like that? What were they thinking!? Someone should do something!

 **You should do something.**

...right. _I_ should do something.

 **But...will you?**

If I could actually do something that won't be futile-

 **You CAN, Akira-kun. And you must.**

I can? So…what do I do?

...?

...And he goes silent once again.

Anyway...this is how my day went.

Once again, I woke up in the middle of the night to the scent of blue lotuses. When I opened my eyes, I was back in the weird blue prison with Igor and those two identical girls. According to Igor, my no-longer-so-imaginary friend Arsene is an entity called a Persona. I've read some stuff on Jungian psychology, so I recognized the term. However, when Carl Jung coined the word, I doubt that he meant a not-quite-imaginary demon thing that accompanies you on trips to parallel dimensions.

Also, Igor mentioned something called the "Metaverse Navigator." Could he have been talking about that eyeball app? Weird things did keep happening every time I tapped it, so... maybe the app was what made Ryuji-kun and I get warped to that other place.

He said that if I find "others who would prove to be beneficial to me," he would "grant it to them as well." What does he mean by "beneficial?" Does Ryuji-kun count? Does Sojiro-san? And does he mean that the app would show up on their phones, too?

What about Takamaki-san?

I guess I'll just have to find out.

I heard more whispers when I got to the Aoyama-Itchome station. "Look! Did you see what people were saying on that one site? It's him..." "The transfer student, the one with a criminal record. Be careful..."

Whatever. They can talk. I have to get to school.

Today was social studies class, which I was really excited for...until the teacher, Ushimaru-sensei, introduced himself to us like this:

"I'm the social studies teacher Ushimaru. I'll be teaching you the rules of society this year."

Okay...

"Hmph! You all look like you've been some spoiled growing up... So before we learn society's rules, maybe I should start with the rules of being a decent human being." (Looks at me specifically. Ouch.) He then proceeded to lecture us on Plato's three somethings (components of a soul, I think?), which were like… spirit, appetite and logic. I remember this because he called on me and asked me what the third one was, and I got it wrong, and everyone laughed at me. Now I'm not just a delinquent/rapist/murderer/yakuza member...I'm also an idiot.

Although, if what we saw in that castle WAS an accurate representation of what was going on in reality, then I think I know of someone who would probably benefit from listening in on that lecture. (Hint: it rhymes with Kamoshida...wait, shit, I messed that up.)

Seriously though-I'm not sure why a teacher wouldn't be interested in the subject that he chose. So, considering that fact, my hypothesis is that he used to enjoy teaching social studies, but after a while he got tired of teaching the same curriculum from the same perspective every single year, and that took away his fondness. If that's what happened, maybe the school board should...I don't know, change the curriculum once in a while. The attitude of the teacher towards their subject matter affects the attitudes of their students. It's only been one class, and I already feel like Ushimaru-sensei's teaching style is draining my love of social studies and history, just because he doesn't seem to like it.

Hmm...maybe I'll try to help him out. I know some pretty interesting facts about social studies. (Interesting to me, at least...)

Actually, forget it. I doubt it would work. He'd probably be like, "mind your own goddamn business!"

I'm suddenly imagining he has a house with a garden where he grows his prize begonias and he yells at the neighborhood kids to get off his lawn.

Anyway! I would say some stuff about my other classes too, but I have other, more urgent stuff to talk about. Like, for instance, Takamaki Ann-san. No, no, I'm not obsessed! I swear I don't have a crush on her or anything...okay, maybe I do have a tiny crush on her (fine, make that a pretty darn big crush), but that isn't the point!

The point is: Today and yesterday, I heard people talking about how she's Kamoshida's girlfriend or something. But she tensed up and got nervous when he drove her to school yesterday morning. And later, after Ryuji and I found our way out of the castle, when I sat down in my seat behind her, she whispered one word to me: "Lies." Was she talking about me and the excuse I gave everyone for being late? We did stand next to each other before school, so she probably saw right through that. But could she also have been referring to what people were saying about her and Kamoshida? That they were...hooking up? I wonder.

And to add on to that, there was what happened today after school. I was leaving class, and I saw her bump into Kamoshida. I was watching from a distance. Their exchange went something like this.

Kamoshida: Heeeeeey, Takamaki-san! ;) You looking for a ride home? Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents.

Takamaki: (squirms slightly, looks at her feet) Sorry, I have a photoshoot today. It's for the special summer issue, so I can't afford to miss it...

Kamoshida: Hey now. Being a model's fine and dandy, but don't work your pretty little self to the _bone_... You mentioned you weren't feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?

(I sense ulterior motives.)

Takamaki: Yes. I keep planning to go to the hospital, but I've been too busy... Sorry to worry you.

Kamoshida: You must be lonely, too. I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often. That's why I asked you out in the first place.

(Asked her out? What?)

Kamoshida: Oh, and...be careful around the new transfer student. He's got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you...

(Inhale, exhale. Resist the urge to punch something.)

Takamaki: Thank you. Please excuse me. (She leaves.)

Kamoshida: Tch! (He leaves.)

It might be different in the middle of Tokyo, but back in Ise, this type of thing just doesn't happen. If you're a teacher...you don't date your student. That's a thing that happens in hentai, not in real life.

* * *

I was suspicious of him from the start. We revisited the strange castle today, and what we saw there only confirmed my suspicions.

Ryuji-kun found me standing outside the school building, searching the internet for variations on "what to do if you've found a portal to another dimension."

Ryuji: Yo.

Me: Hey, what's up?

Ryuji: I need to talk about that castle. I tried tellin' myself it was all just a dream...but I couldn't do it. I can't act like nothing happened. It's all connected to that bastard Kamoshida, after all. I wanna find out what's up with that place, no matter what. And y'know, you're the only person who I can rely on for this stuff. So, you in?

Me: I was going to ask you the same thing. (I showed him what I was was searching for.)

Ryuji: Aha! So we're on the same page, then! So...how's Google treatin' ya?

Me: I haven't been able to find anything helpful... You got any other ideas?

Ryuji: Well...maybe we should start by retracing our steps from yesterday. In the meantime, you're walkin' to the station, right? Let's go together. Lemme know if you notice any other weird buildings on the way.

So we went back into the alleyway we had tried to use as a shortcut to the school, and we came out the other side.

We stood in the same place as we had yesterday morning before school. And then we turned around and walked back through the alleyway again. And...it was just normal Shujin.

Ryuji: Huh? We're at school... :/ There wasn't anything out of place along the way, right?

Me: Nope...

Ryuji: I didn't see no castle, either... We must've made a wrong turn somewhere. Let's try again.

Me: ...There has to be something we're missing.

So we went back into the alleyway. And we went back out of the alleyway. And...still no stinky castle.

Ryuji: ...For real? Is it...smaller than we think it is? What do you think...?

And then something occurred to me.

Me: Wait... I had that app open, and...

Ryuji: Huh? App...You mean that navigation app thingy you had on back then?

Me: I still don't know what it does, but it popped up on my phone at Shibuya Crossing a couple days ago, and it keeps coming back even though I deleted it.

Ryuji: That sounds super sketchy. But I kept hearing stuff that sounded like a GPS. Y'know, didn't it say stuff like "returned to the real world" or somethin' like that?

Me: Hmm...

Ryuji: Lemme see your phone for a bit. (Grab!) What's this eyeball-lookin thing?

Me: That's the one. Cute logo, amirite?

Ryuji: That's not how I'd describe it...

Me: I was being...never mind.

Ryuji: Weird app... Oh, wait, this is it! (He shows the screen to me triumphantly.) I knew it-it IS a navigation app! There's even your search history! Oh, man, I'm such a genius!

(Haha-such a genius indeed.)

Ryuji: Let's try using it!

Me: Okay. Knock yourself out, I guess.

He tapped the most recent search...

[Kamoshida,] said my phone. [Shujin Academy. Pervert. Castle.]

He pressed the go button. [Beginning navigation.]

Ryuji: There we go! Then, we went in a certain direction, and...Hey, what're you (WARP) Huh? What the hell? Dude, look at this!

He shoved it into my hands and peered over my shoulder at it. It was burning hot and vibrating erratically. The screen was black except for the flickering red eye symbol. When I raised my head, I noticed that the world had become fuzzy, like an out-of-focus camera. Invisible threads stretched and broke against my skin.

We ripped through the fabric of reality. The school began to warp, changing into something else. Cologne and body odor filled the air.

And there we were, at the castle.

I looked down at my phone, then up at the ominous building.

So it was that app. I literally opened a portal to another dimension with my smartphone. Like something out of a science fiction story.

Who knew Samsung phones were so powerful?

* * *

The first thing I noticed when I looked up from my phone was that my clothes had changed. Instead of my normal uniform, I was wearing the outfit that had appeared on me yesterday. I looked down at myself, examining my outfit closely for the first time. My red-and-black Shujin jacket had become a long black trench coat that split into three tails and fluttered behind me like a cape. Under that was a gray and silver vest made out of a material that felt like a combination of silk and wool. Hanging from my vest was a golden pocket watch with a dragon engraved on its case. My black pants were rolled up slightly to reveal shoes so pointy, they could put a good-sized hole in someone's face if I kicked hard enough. On my hands were red leather gloves.

I reached up to adjust my glasses, and instead, I touched the ivory mask I had retrieved from the dark planet. My glasses were gone, but I could see just as clearly as if I were wearing them.

Magic clothes? Fuck yeah, I'm down for that.

I studied the castle. I sniffed the air and remembered that the unappealing combination of body odor and cologne was Kamoshida's signature scent. I put two and two together.

Yesterday, we had learned that Kamoshida was the "king" of this castle...

And last night, Arsene had said that this world housed the darkest aspects of the human psyche...

So, that means this castle is his mind, I concluded. Or at least the worst parts of his mind. His worst qualities.

We approached the castle entrance. I was startled from my thoughts by a loud cry.

Ryuji: GAAAAAH! Those clothes...! That happened last time too, huh?! What's with that outfit?

Me: Wha-Oh, yeah, my clothes! Sorry, man, I only brought one pair. I can tell you're totally jelly...

Ryuji: NO! I-I ain't jealous! ...What's goin' on here!? This makes no effin' sense at all...

I didn't get a chance to respond to this, because we were interrupted. "Hey!" someone said, peeking around the corner. "Stop making a commotion!"

Ryuji: (short exasperated sigh) ...You?!

It was Morgana, the creature we met yesterday in the castle. I didn't really describe him that much in the last entry, so I'll describe him now. He's an odd little guy. His body is black, but his paws, chin and tip of his tail are white. He wears a yellow bandanna and a black mask made out of cloth, and he looks like a cartoon cat with these giant blue eyes. You'd think that his Persona would be something cat-related, like Puss in Boots or maybe even Schrodinger's Cat, but strangely, his Persona is humanoid. It's a big armored knight called Zorro. It uses wind to attack, as opposed to Arsene's manipulation of darkness.

We're not quite sure what to make of him.

"The Shadows started acting up, so I came here wondering what it could be," he said. "To think you guys would come back to the entrance when you barely managed to escape."

"We have unfinished business," I explained. I remembered the themes of one of the many video games I had played during my 2-year sad procrastination phase. (Hint: it was Ni No Kuni, an RPG about parallel universes and magic.) "You know the King who lives here? According to Ryuji-kun, his real-world counterpart might be abusing his power. There are rumors that he uses his status to get away with torturing innocent students."

"Real-world...wha?" Ryuji-kun didn't know what I was talking about. "What exactly is this place? IS it the school?"

"That's right," said Morgana.

"But it's a CASTLE!" Ryuji-kun argued.

"This castle IS the school," said Morgana. "But only to this castle's ruler."

"The castle's ruler...?"

"I think you called him Kamoshida?"

Ryuji-kun still looked confused. "It's his mind, dude," I said.

"Ah, at least _you_ understand!" Morgana sighed. "Well, mostly. It's how his distorted heart views the school."

"So it's specifically the school..."

"I still don't get it," said Ryuji-kun.

I still have a lot to write, and it's getting late, so I'll try to wrap this up pretty quick. Morgana called Ryuji-kun a moron, but he didn't have to respond because we heard a loud drawn-out scream from inside. Morgana said it was the slaves. "It's nothing out of the ordinary," he explained. "It's like that every day here."

Ryuji: This is BULLSHIT!' (Runs up to the door, rams into it with his shoulder) YOU HEAR ME KAMOSHIDA?!(?& !?

Morgana: Doing that isn't going to open it, y'know... Still, it seems you have your reasons...

Ryuji: Hey, Monamona!

Morgana: It's Morgana!

Me: (lol)

Ryuji: Know where those voices are coming from?

Morgana: You want me to take you to them? Well... I guess I could guide you there. But only if he comes with us.

And so, we followed him into the castle.

* * *

Being in or near the castle was like looking at the air above a bonfire, or over hot asphalt. Everything seemed sort of hazy and shimmery, like the fabric of reality was barely holding together. In the entrance hall, we caught a glimpse of the entrance to the school in the real world. The floor, walls, ceiling and furniture were all richly carved and covered with ornate patterns, but whenever I tried to look closely at them, they became blurry and indistinct.

We're in a place that never should've existed, I thought to myself.

We went back into the dungeons. There was a guard patrolling the place, and Morgana used the opportunity to tell me that I should sneak up on enemies as much as possible. We found a "safe room" where the "distortion" was weaker (it kept changing into a classroom like the way the main hall seemed to turn into Shujin's entrance hall), where Morgana and I continued to try and explain to Ryuji-kun what the castle was.

"This is happening because he thinks the school is his own castle," Morgana said.

That seemed to work. "So, he became like this cause he just thought of it like that?"

"Yeah, basically...except this is like, a different dimension?" I said.

Ryuji-kun started laughing bitterly. "That son of a bitch!"

...Aaaaagh! I keep making this entry longer than I have time for! So I've made a decision. On days like this, when a lot of stuff happens, I'll just give you the highlights - the most important parts. Starting...now.

So according to Morgana, my awesome super hero/ costume is a manifestation of my rebellious side. In order to keep away the "distortion," I have to "hold a powerful will of rebellion." Also, Morgana thinks he's a human. Ryuji-kun was like, "...wha?" I was like, "But if we're following the rules you just explained to us, if you think of yourself as human, then why do you look like a cat in this world?"

He was like, "I lost my true form! And I'm trying to find it! That's why I'm here at this castle!"

Mysterious.

Anyway, Ryuji-kun brought a realistic-looking model gun with the idea of scaring the enemies with it. But a bit later, Morgana and I figured out that if they're convincing enough, model guns work like real guns in this world.

We eavesdropped on some guards and we discovered that the slaves we had been searching for were probably "in the training hall screaming in pain by now."

Said training hall was down at the end of an especially dark, especially slimy, especially twisting passageway. A banner with purple text hung over the entrance.

"Kamoshida's...Training Hall...of Love?!" read Ryuji-kun. "What kinda bullshit is THIS?!"

I braced myself and opened the doors. We walked in.

The "training hall of love" turned out to be inaccurately named. The room was divided into several sections. In one corner, kids in volleyball team uniforms stood in a row, facing the wall, as guards in full armor beat them up with spiked gauntlets. In another, students were running on a giant treadmill, trying to escape from what looked like an enormous iron rolling pin with spikes, while begging for water. In another...actually, you probably get the idea. It was bad.

"So the school's a castle and the students are slaves..." Ryuji-kun said. "It's so on point that it makes me laugh. This really is the inside of that asshole's head!"

Ryuji-kun tried to save the slaves, but Morgana stopped him. He attempted to explain that they were just cognitions of Kamoshida's real volleyball team members. Of course, Ryuji-kun didn't really understand, but I think I get it. You know how when you remember what someone looks like, you recreate a mental picture of that person in your mind? I think those slaves were Kamoshida's mental pictures of the kids on his volleyball team.

And Morgana said that what we saw here mimicked reality - so in the real world, the volleyball team most likely WAS being tortured. Probably. Hopefully not. But probably.

We both whipped out our phones to take some pictures to report to the police, but when I opened up my camera app, all it displayed was the word "NOPE" superimposed over a black screen. Ryuji-kun said he would memorize the faces of the athletes, so that tomorrow, we could ask them about the abuse.

I looked closely at them - their faces, their bodies, their postures - and I realized that indeed, something was...weird about them. Not quite human. I couldn't really pinpoint it, but it was pretty darn unsettling.

So, I wish I could say that we left the castle right then. But unfortunately (or fortunately?), that wasn't what happened. When we got to the main entrance hall, the King himself was waiting for us. With a whole bunch of guards.

Shadow Kamoshida: You KNAVES AGAIN!? To think you'd make the same mistake AGAIN. You're HOPELESS!

Ryuji: The school ain't your castle! I've memorized their faces real good. You're going down!

Shadow Kamoshida: Hahaha! It seems it's true when they say "barking dogs seldom bite." How far the star runner of the track team has fallen.

Ryuji: The hell're you gettin' at!?

Shadow Kamoshida: I speak of the "Track Traitor" who acted in violence, ending his teammates dreams! Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your...selfish act.

(Ryuji winced...)

Me: ..."Track Traitor?"

Shadow Kamoshida: What a surprise. So you're accompanying him without knowing anything at all? He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever!

Ryuji: That's NOT TRUE!

Shadow Kamoshida: You've come along with this fool and are now going to end up dead. ...How unlucky of you. (He turned around and left.) Go. Kill them all. Don't sully my castle with garbage.

The armored guards morphed into these demonic-looking red-and-black horses. Two curved green horns protruded from each of their heads. They prepared to attack.

Morgana and I were surrounded and outnumbered. I summoned Arsene and Morgana called on Zorro, but even our combined rebellious spirit wasn't enough to win. Ever been trampled by a pissed-off demon horse? I...wouldn't recommend it. I think I broke like, all of my ribs, and even with the help of Morgana's healing magic, they're still sore right now.

We were both knocked to the floor. Shadow Kamoshida came back and stepped on Morgana. With his gross hairy leg. I tried to get up, but the golden suit of armor that seemed to be the leader of the guards stepped on me too.

In the midst of all this, I noticed rose petals scattered about on the polished floor. But it still smelled like BO.

Ryuji-kun was on his knees. He couldn't fight, and we had been defeated. We thought we were done for.

Shadow Kamoshida: I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this. Isn't that right?

Ryuji: No...

Shadow Kamoshida: What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly... How dare you raise your hand at me! Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?

Ryuji: Wasn't no practice! It was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!

Shadow Kamoshida: It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to achieve results is ME!

Welp, there's his philosophy in a nutshell.

Shadow Kamoshida: That coach who got fired was hopeless too... Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would've settled it by only breaking his star's leg.

...wait, WHAT?

Ryuji: ...What?

Shadow Kamoshida: Do you need me to deal with your other leg, too? Heh... The school will call it self-defense anyway!

WHAT?

 **Oh, he will not get away with this.**

Ryuji: Dammit... Am I gonna lose again? Not only can I not run anymore...the track team is gone too cause of this asshole...!

Me while being crushed by a giant metal foot: So...the ex-coach stood up to you... and you took it out on Ryuji-kun?

Morgana: So that's why...

Shadow Kamoshida: Bahahahahaaaaaa! That's right! Once these two are dealt with, you're next! (Laughs evilly like Bowser from Super Mario)

"You're letting him win," I observed from beneath the armor's heavy golden boot. "Isn't that what he wants?"

Ryuji-kun was groveling on the floor before the king, head bowed. He was silent, thinking about what I had said. Slowly, he looked up, and his expression changed from defeated to enraged. "You're right..." he muttered. "Everything that was important to me was taken by him... I'll never get 'em back...!"

Shadow Kamoshida: Stay there and watch. Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with scum like you.

I was about to say a witty insult, but Ryuji-kun got to his feet!

Ryuji: No... That's what YOU are. All you think about is using people... You're the REAL scumbag, Kamoshida!

He walked towards the evil tyrant.

Shadow Kamoshida: What are you doing!? Silence him!

Ryuji: Stop lookin' down on me with that STUPID SMILE on your face!

And then, all of a sudden, a crackle of electricity filled the air.

 **It is beginning!**

What?

 **His Persona is awakening!**

What!?

He has a Persona now too?

Distant thunder echoed through the room.

Awesome!

Ryuji-kun's eyes flashed yellow! He opened his mouth and a deep, unfamiliar voice spoke from his lungs.

 **"You made me wait quite a while."**

He grabbed his forehead in pain, then crumpled to his knees. "Aaargh?!"

I winced, recalling how my own awakening had felt. Silently, I rooted for him. C'mon Ryuji-kun!

 **"You seek power, don't you?** **Then let us form a pact.** **Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc?"**

Lightning sparked from the guards' metal armor. My hairs were standing on end.

 **"I am thou. Thou art I. There is no turning back...THE SKULL OF REBELLION IS YOUR FLAG HENCEFORTH!"**

In a flash of blue fire, a mask appeared on his face. It was made of lead and shaped like a skull.

He got to his feet once again! The guard who was standing on me raised his sword and prepared to strike. But that never ended up happening, because Ryuji-kun tore off his mask and summoned HIS Persona!

Captain Kidd emerged from the blue fire behind Ryuji-kun-a caped figure with a skull for a face and cannons for arms, standing atop a pirate ship that floated in midair. The ship had a grinning face painted on it, like the ones members of the British Air Force used to paint on their planes during WWII. Ryuji-kun's clothes had also changed. His school uniform and T-shirt had disappeared, replaced by a spiked black leather jacket, yellow gloves, and a red scarf. A crowbar appeared in his hands.

In a burst of red-and-black slime, the leader of the guards shed its armor, revealing its true form-a samurai in a fur cape, riding a horse and holding a spear. (I don't know how both the samurai and the horse were able to fit into that golden suit of armor, but... oh well. Nothing makes sense in this dimension.) We wailed on him. We had a much easier time defeating him and his minions now that Ryuji-kun had magical powers too. (Also, it was a lot more fun!) While Arsene controls darkness and Zorro commands the wind, Captain Kidd can call down lightning. So...it was exciting. Also, I am proud to announce that in the process of defeating his minions, we totally trashed Shadow Kamoshida's front hallway. The King cowered behind the golden staircase, flinching every time we smashed a statue or a piece of furniture. It was entertaining to watch.

After about thirty minutes, Pony Samurai-kun took an especially bad lighting bolt to the chest, and we knocked him off his high horse. He tried to get up, but he was already starting to dissolve into black smoke, and oh yeah, we were pummeling him. He collapsed.

Spear-Wielding Brony: I am... a loyal subject... of the glorious King Kamoshida... So why... have I lost...? *dies*

Me: Because we're more awesome.

Ryuji: It just proves that Kamoshida ain't anything special.

(Fist Bump!)

Kamoshida, apparently having recovered from his panic attack, emerged from behind the stairs, brushing cobwebs off of his cape. He snapped his fingers and, much to our disappointment, the wreckage from the battle reassembled itself back into its former state. Dammit...of course he can do that, I thought. It's his mind.

Ryuji: Even if you apologize now, we ain't gonna forgive you!

Shadow Kamoshida: Hahahaha. I told you, this is MY castle. It seems you still don't understand.

Then someone else walked over. It was that girl. Takamaki Ann-san. The girl who had smiled at me in the rain, who I had been too scared to talk to when I saw her in the hallway.

The girl who had been asked out by Kamoshida.

She was wearing nothing but a bikini, high heels, and a tiara with cat ears. She draped herself over Kamoshida. I tried not to throw up.

I don't think I'll be able to unsee that image.

Morgana: Wha...what a meow-velous and beautiful girl!

Ryuji: What's going on...?

Me: Something seems off to me.

Ryuji: Yeah, now that you mention it. But why is she even here?

The sinister king stroked Takamaki-san's cheek lustfully. Takamaki-san didn't even look uncomfortable. She seemed to be enjoying it.

And that's when I realized-it was her, but not quite her. Her face was wrong. It was like the face of a moving doll, with soulless, staring eyes and a slightly open-mouthed smile that looked like her jaw muscles had been wired wrong. This was Uncanny Valley material. Ever seen Saya the Reception Robot, or for an even better example, that weird American animated movie, The Polar Express? If you have, you'd understand.

Ryuji: Let go of her, you perv!

Shadow Kamoshida: How many times must I tell you until you understand? This is MY castle-a place in which I can do whatever I want. Everyone wishes to be loved by me. ...That is, everyone besides slow-witted thieves like you.

Ryuji: Takamaki! Say somethin!

Not-Takamaki: (creepy giggle)

Me: That's a cognition.

Ryuji: A whut?

Morgana: That girl isn't the real one. It's just how he sees her, just like the slaves in the training hall! Do I need to explain everything to you again?

Shadow Kamoshida: Ahahahahaha! Are you jealous? Well, I'm not surprised. Women aren't draw to problematic punks like you two! (To someone invisible) Clean them up this instant!

More guards erupted from the floor. Ryuji-kun wanted to kick the King's ass right then, and honestly I did too, but Kamoshida was suddenly no where to be found. We were outnumbered and low on energy, so we reluctantly left. Oh, and we kind of ditched Morgana, much to his disappointment. He's back at the castle.

* * *

And now, I'm back at Leblanc.

After returning to reality, Ryuji-kun and I agreed that we would expose Kamoshida for the heartless piece of shit that he really is. Then we went out for food. I told him my incredible backstory over noodles. It turns out, he's a ramen enthusiast. Blond hair, athletic, loud, goofy, loves ramen...? He's more like Naruto than I am. So if he's Naruto... then I'm more like... maybe Ashitaka from Mononoke Hime? I guess? I don't know.

And now I'm comparing myself to the protagonist of my favorite Ghibli film. Yeah...I'm totally not full of myself at all. Nope, not at all. (I am being sarcastic.)

Anyway. Tomorrow's going to be a big day. It's the volleyball rally, so there won't be any afternoon classes. We'll use that as an opportunity to ask the team members about the abuse.

* * *

From the chat log:

SR: Hey I decided to go ahead and message you

SR: Can you see this?

KA: nope

SR: You SO can!

KA: lol

SR: Im gonna be counting on you tomorrow ok?

KA: got it! (thumbs up emoji)

SR: Youre a bro man...

SR: Welp seeya tomorrow!

KA: bye dude!


	5. Entry 5: The Demon Coach of Shujin

Entry 5: The Demon Coach of Shujin

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

My life has gone insane.

It's only been three days since I started going to Shujin, and I've already gone to another dimension, gained magical powers, and gotten myself entangled in a schoolwide conspiracy! Is this what my life will be like for the whole year? If so, should I be scared or thrilled...?

Anyway, guess what today is? It's the volleyball rally! Normally, I wouldn't really care about this, since I'm not a big sports fan or anything. But these circumstances are different. See, during the rally, Ryuji-kun and I are planning on sneaking off and asking the volleyball players who aren't currently playing about the abuse. I hope we get a lead...

So! Here is how my day started!

Once again, I woke up to the sound of clinking chains and the scent of the Egyptian Lotus. This time, Igor had called me to the Velvet Room to talk about how in order to make my Persona stronger, I need to make friends with people who shared my outlook on the world and would be willing to help me. Like building an army, I thought. Or better yet, a support network.

He said some more stuff, but I had a hard time focusing. My thoughts had drifted away from the Velvet Room and towards Takamaki-san.

Oh yeah-remember last entry, when I said that Uncanny Valley Takamaki-san would most likely bring me nightmares? Guess what? It did. I don't remember the exact premise of it, but I do know that she killed herself in that dream and I found her mangled body hanging from a TV antenna. Her corpse was wearing nothing but a bikini and the same creepy, soulless smile that she had in the other world.

I'm scared for her.

And I haven't even spoken to her yet. Why am I so worried about her? Is this normal? Am I creepy?

Anyway, I'm on the train to school right now. I managed to get a seat, so I'm writing. Dreams seem to be pretty important, so I'm going to try to write them down every morning, or at least what I can remember. Especially the vivid ones.

Oh, and I should also mention that from now on, I'm going to write in chunks throughout the day, instead of writing the whole entry at night and staying up till like 2 in the morning.

* * *

The volleyball rally! Ryuji-kun and I sat on the sidelines and watched as the student volleyball team was pitted against the teachers. Which, of course, included Kamoshida. It came as no surprise that the teachers were winning.

Across the room was Takamaki-san, sitting apart from the other students and twirling her hair.

"Still sticks out..." mumbled Ryuji-kun, indicating her. "Hasn't changed a bit." He made a big show out of yawning and stretching. He said something else.

"What?"

"Pretty boring, right?"

"Oh. Sorry, I was distracted." I lowered my voice. "I was keeping an eye on him. Who knows what he'll try." Ryuji-kun nodded. Of course, "he" was Kamoshida.

About three seconds later, Kamoshida leaped up and executed an expertly timed, skillfully aimed spike to the face of one of the students that I recognized from my homeroom. The force of the ball knocked him out.

That had definitely been intentional.

I saw a glint of twisted satisfaction and pride in the coach's eyes as he hit his target, but it quickly disappeared and was replaced by fake concern. He rushed over. "Sorry! Hey, are you alright? Somebody, take him to the nurse's office!" Oh my, I'm so concerned about that kid who I just knocked out with a volleyball. Cause I definitely didn't mean to do that, nope, no sir, not at all.

"He'll pay soon enough," Ryuji-kun growled.

* * *

"Wow, not only is Kamoshida an amazing athlete," I said sarcastically, "he's also an incredible actor. Who knew he was so multitalented!?"

We were standing in the courtyard, discussing our next move.

"Get to know each other better, my ass," fumed Ryuji-kun. "It's just a one man show for him to stroke his ego!"

"I know, right!? The way he acted concerned when he knocked that kid over-that was well done. He really deserves some kind of acting award for that."

"Yeah, most abusive d-bag of an actor."

"Most villainous villain."

"Most deserving of jail time...Well, anyways, now's our chance to look for the guys who were slaves at the castle. All the members of volleyball team should be here today."

"All right! Where should we start?"

"The first one was a guy from class D, so let's start there. That's your class..."

* * *

So we walked around for a hour or so, talking to the volleyball players. All of them were really beat-up. I mean, REALLY beat up. And none of them were willing to confess that their beloved coach was the one who did it.

But I heard Takamaki-san in the hall talking to that dark-haired girl again.

And guess what?

They were talking about me.

They were talking about the rumors about me.

And they said that they hoped the rumors wouldn't get to me.

They were looking out for me!

But I was still too scared to say hi.

So I walked away, and Ryuji-kun and I regrouped in the courtyard.

* * *

Apparently, I didn't need to worry about being too scared to approach Takamaki-san, because she approached me.

Takamaki: Can I talk to you for a sec?

Me: Ta-Takamaki-san?! Um, sure... (voice cracks) ...what is it?

Takamaki: It'll be quick. Anyway, what's with you? Like how you were late the other day was a lie and all?

Me: Oh, that... Okay, um... It's a really long story and I don't think you'd believe me if I tell you what actually happened, but, if I ever have the time, I'll...

Takamaki: ...I was just curious. There's that weird rumor about you, too...

Me: (nervous laugh) Which one?

Suddenly, a wild Ryuji-kun appears!

Ryuji: Whaddya want with him!?

Takamaki: Right back at you. You're not even in our class.

Ryuji: We just...happened to get to know each other.

Me: It was...

Takamaki: Okay, seriously! What are you guys planning on doing to Kamoshida-sensei?

Me: (under my breath) You call him "sensei?"

Ryuji: Huh? ... I see. I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all.

Takamaki: This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto!

Ryuji: If you found out what he's been doing behind your back, you'd dump him right away.

Takamaki: "Behind my back?" What's that supposed to mean?

Ryuji: ...You wouldn't get it.

Takamaki: Anyway, people are already talking about you two. I don't know what you're trying to pull, but no one's going to help you.

Me: Yeah, everyone seems to be either ignorant or in denial of Kamoshida's, um...situation. But we looked into it, and we found out that he's actually really really not a cool guy. (mumbling) you probably already know that, but...

Takamaki: I'm warning you, just in case. That's all.

And she leaves. Just like that.

I couldn't help but gaze after her. She really does stand out. She is super beautiful. Her eyes are like oceans, and her hair looks so soft... "Huh?"

Ryuji: I said, why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time?

Me: Oh, uh, I dunno. You know her?

Ryuji: We just went to the same middle school. Anyways, that's not what we're here to talk about.

Me: Right. Any luck?

Ryuji: Not on my end. What about you? Did anything like someone's name turn up?

Me: Actually, yeah. Mishima-the kid who got knocked out. He's in my class. According to this other team member who's a first-year, he has to attend Kamoshida's "Special Coaching." Which probably means he just punches him.

Ryuji: True. I always see the guy covered in bruises. Let's go talk to him before he leaves then!

* * *

Holy shit... I can't believe it.

Okay, so Mishima-kun just dropped a bombshell.

A depressing bombshell.

We spotted him heading towards the practice building. Ryuji-kun caught up with him.

Ryuji: (intimidatingly) Hey! GOT a second!?

Mishima: Ah! Sakamoto-kun...? And you too...!?

He turned around to look at us. There was a bandage wrapped around his forehead. His movements were sluggish and his eyes were glazed and unfocused.

Me: Are you going to volleyball practice?

Mishima: Yeah...why do you want to know?

Me: Honestly, I think you might have a concussion.

Mishima: Thanks for worrying about me, but I'm fine. The school nurse cleared me. I'm gonna go now... (takes a step, sways unsteadily)

Ryuji-kun and I exchanged glances.

Me: You don't look fine... (I walked towards him and held up my pointer finger.) How many fingers am I holding up?

Mishima: (squints and pauses) ... Two... ?

Ryuji: Oh shit... That's not good...

Me: Dude, you need to go home.

Mishima: I told you already! I'm just a little nauseous and dizzy, but otherwise, I'm fine. Now could you please leave me alone so I can get to practice...?

Me: You can't go to practice today. You're nauseous and dizzy, and you're seeing double. You definitely have a concussion.

Ryuji: We ain't leaving till you leave school and go home.

Mishima: I'm not leaving. I have practice!

Ryuji: Okay, if you ain't leaving...we'll just have to keep askin' you questions, then! Kamoshida's been "coaching" you, huh? You sure it's not just physical abuse?

Mishima-kun took a wobbly step backwards.

Mishima: Certainly not! (But he was looking away as he said it.)

Ryuji: What're you talkin' all polite for!? Anyways...we saw him spike you today. Right in the face.

Mishima: That was just because I'm not good at the sport. Leave me alone...

Me: No way.

Ryuji: And that doesn't explain all the other bruises you've got...

Mishima: They're from practice...!

Ryuji: Is he forcin' you to keep quiet?

Mishima: That's...

And then guess who walks in!?

Kamoshida: What's going on here? Mishima-san, isn't it time for practice?

We looked at Mishima. He looked back at us.

Mishima: Actually, sir... I-I'm not feeling well today...

Kamoshida: What? Maybe you're better off QUITTING, then. You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice.

I decided to try something a little different.

Me: Um, Kamoshida-sensei? May I speak to you?

Kamoshida: (raises eyebrow) ...Yes?

Ryuji: (look of shock at my audacity)

Me: I keep seeing all these students come back from practice all beat up, and I can't help but wonder if maybe they work a bit too hard...

Kamoshida: (gets up in my face, towers over me) I coach a volleyball team that performs at a national level, while you're nothing but a punk with a criminal record. What do YOU know about the right way for me to coach my team?

I don't know what other kind of response I expected...

Kamoshida: Well, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?

Mishima: I'll go... :(

Kamoshida: As for you (indicates Ryuji-kun), any more trouble and you'll be gone from this school for sure.

Ryuji: Bastard...

Kamoshida: Same goes for you. (Indicates me) Didn't the principal tell you to keep in line?

Me: Oh. Sorry, sir... (under my breath) Don't worry, we're not planning anything, nope, nothing at all. Also, you have an amazing spike.

Kamoshida: Hmph! Just don't get in the way of my practice, or you'll be gone. All these unsettling rumors are making the students anxious, after all.

Ryuji: That's your OWN goddamn fault.

Kamoshida: This won't get us anywhere. Let's go, Mishima-san. Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn. Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here. (Evil stare) Get with the program!

Mishima: Yes sir. :(

(Kamoshida walks off)

Ryuji: That asshole! He's gonna pay for this...!

Mishima: (weakly) Stop it. There's no point.

Ryuji: ...What?

Mishima: ...Proving that he's physically abusing us... is meaningless. Everybody knows... The principal, our parents... They all know, and they all keep quiet about it.

Me: What the fuck...?! Your...parents!?

Ryuji: This has gotta be a joke...

Mishima: ...Don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going through. Shouldn't you of all people know that nothing's going to help?

Ryuji-kun cringed.

Mishima-kun walked off, leaving both of us feeling just as physically ill and dead inside as he felt.

Me: Their parents know... And they're just...letting it happen...?

There was a long pause where we just kind of stood there, too shocked and baffled to do anything.

Me: There's not much else we can do, right...?

Ryuji: I'll try one more time to persuade the other guys. That's...all I can do.

Me: I can't believe it.

Ryuji: Neither can I...

We parted ways and left the school. For now, we had been defeated.

Why? Why is everyone so...okay with this? Even...even their parents know, and they're just letting it happen...?

How...how the fuck!?

Well...this is something I'll have to ponder on my way home.

* * *

So. The train ride gave me time to process this new stuff, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I took my anger out on a pillow when I arrived at Leblanc again.

That was at 6:30 pm. It's now 7:15. I've cooled down and thought about the situation. And guess what? I think I figured it out.

KA: dude, dude! i think i understand now.

SA: Understand what?

KA: the reason why everyone's ignoring the abuse!

SA: Okay man let's hear it!

KA: so, kamoshida's an ex-olympian who took the volleyball team to nationals last year, right?

SA: Yeah go on

KA: so no matter what, colleges are going to look at the transcripts of the volleyball team, and they'll say, "ooooh, they were part of an award-winning team with an ex-olympian as their coach? that sounds great! let's give them all athletic scholarships!"

KA: and parents are like, "hmm, it says that this guy's hobbies include torturing and raping children... but he won a medal, so I'm sure they'll be fine."

KA: "he must be totally trustworthy, because he knows how to play volleyball well. our kids must be totally safe with him."

KA: "and moreover, he is important and he has authority, so we should flatter him, right?"

KA: to put it bluntly...

KA: _it's the same kind of shit as what happened to me back at Ise. the "important" upper-class people can do whatever the hell they want, and who pays the price? us! lower-class people, especially the younger members of the lower class! like...students! like us!_

KA: can you believe it!?

KA: i'm so fed up with all this bullshit...

SR: I KNOW!' ME TOO!'

SR: Hes beating kids up and all theyre allowed to do is endure...

SR: And that follower of his doesn't give one single shit!

KA: follower?

SR: Takamaki Ann. You met her in the courtyard remember?

KA: oh yeah, duh.

KA: people say she's dating kamoshida but...something seems off.

SR: Off? How so?

KA: like, she tenses up and squirms slightly whenever he's around.

KA: behind her facade, it seems like she's genuinely uncomfortable around kamoshida.

SR: Weird...

KA: definitely.

KA: you know, maybe she does know. maybe she's just pretending she doesn't, going along with everyone else.

SR: Hmmmmmmmm. I wonder...

SR: Anyway! We cant let it end like this!

SR: Im gonna try and find someone who knows about whats going on with Kamoshida during break tomorrow.

KA: sounds good. i'll try to think of a plan.

SR: Hey just wondering why do you use katakana instead of hiragana?

KA: because i like it.

KA: it's my style.

SR: Cool cool. I like it.

SR: C u tomorrow?

KA: see you tomorrow!


	6. Entry 6: Ann's Story

Entry 6: Ann's Story

Thursday, April 14, 2016

This morning was surprisingly uneventful. We weren't sucked into any other dimensions on our way to school (thanks to my efforts not to touch that app), and I didn't even have any notable dreams last night, Velvet-Room-related or otherwise.

The only thing of note that happened was this: As I was walking to school just a few minutes ago, I heard a couple female students talking. One wanted Kamoshida's autograph after school. The other said that that probably wasn't a good idea, because "you can hear screaming near the PE faculty office at night, even if no one's there."

Ominous.

What does he do to his students and team members...?

* * *

Ryuji-kun texted me in class today regarding the problem we had encountered yesterday.

SR: So about witnesses...

SR: I was wondering if we could get something out of Takamaki-san

KA: since she's with kamoshida? or so they say?

SR: No that aint why

SR: Just hear me out

SR: You know how we didnt get a thing outta the volleyball team?

KA: yeah...?

SR: I figured itd be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them

SR: Takamaki-sans bffs with a starter. A girl named Suzui

SR: I tried to talk to that girl during break but I got nothing

SR: That's why we should have Takamaki-san talk to her

KA: that's actually a really good idea.

SR: Then again I guess itll be hard getting her to help us...

KA: actually, she sits in front of me. i'll see if i can talk to her.

SR: Oh cool! Go right ahead then

KA: also, we should probably stop texting in class...

SR: Whatever. In the meantime, lemme see what else I can come up with

KA: ok dude. see you after school maybe.

* * *

I am embarrassed to say, I didn't actually end up talking to Takamaki-san. I did get an opportunity to talk to her at lunch, but instead of actually taking that opportunity, I spent the whole lunch period rephrasing the question over and over, trying to work up the courage to actually ask her.

But I never actually got around to asking.

I did bump into Suzui-san on the way to the courtyard after school, though. And I mean I literally bumped into her. She was standing by the doors to the practice building looking at her phone, and I was walking down the hall while simultaneously writing in my notebook (idiotic, I know!) and I...bumped into her. Literally.

Suzui: ... Um...

I looked up and realized her face was about six inches from mine. I backed up, muttering an apology.

There were bruises all over her face. A volleyball team member...and I'd seen her talking to Takamaki-san...so that meant...

Me: You're Suzui Shiho-san, aren't you...?

Suzui: (nods, doesn't meet my eyes) ...I'm in the way, aren't I...? ...Sorry... I'll move.

Me: No, it's okay! I actually have some questions for you. About the volleyball team...

Suzui: ... I can't ...Practice starts in ten minutes, and I should be there already...I'm sorry...

She looked at me. Her expression was downtrodden and her eyes looked...dead.

Suzui: ...I haven't seen you before... Could you be the transfer student everyone's talking about...?

(I nodded)

Suzui: Um, this might not be any of my business, but don't let the rumors get to you, okay?

Me: They don't bug me.

Suzui: I'm glad to hear that. ...My best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks... Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to drag on like that. Anyway, I have to go to practice... I'll see you around.

Me: Hey, um...

Suzui: ...yeah?

Me: Thank you for the encouragement. Stay strong, okay?

Suzui: Thanks.

Then she walked away towards the practice building, like a lamb going to the slaughterhouse.

* * *

In the courtyard.

Ryuji: Dammit, what the hell!

Me: Did you find someone?

Ryuji: Is that what it _looks_ like!? All of 'em kept sayin' the same shit Mishima was talkin' about...! Kamoshida had to have told em' something!

Me: This is really bad.

Ryuji: I KNOW RIGHT! At this rate...it looks like we'll have to go to him directly...

Me: That's like going into the lion's den. We'll probably get eaten, metaphorically speaking.

Ryuji: I know...but seriously, isn't there something we can do? No way I'm gonna give in like this! Can you think of anything?

Me: Well, we could call the police...

Ryuji: So you wanna tell 'em about the castle? They'd never believe us.

Me: You're right. We don't have any real proof. Unless...

Ryuji: Unless what?

Me: What if we snuck into Kamoshida's office and hid a camera or a mic?

Ryuji: Heh. That'd be really cool if we could do it without gettin' caught, but...if we did, we'd be seriously done for.

Me: You're right.

We thought for about another minute, tossing ideas back and forth, but there was nothing else we could come up with.

Until:

 **Try thinking broader.**

I _am_ thinking broader.

 **Not broad enough. There's something you're missing.**

Well, _obviously_... Could I have a hint?

 **(deep, echoing chuckle) Do you remember the castle?**

!?

Ohhhhh...

Me: Wait. I have an idea.

Ryuji: Yeah?

Me: The castle. It's influenced by the real-world Kamoshida, right?

Ryuji: ...yeah?

Me: But what if it's also the opposite? Like, what if we could change the real Kamoshida by messing up the castle version of him?

Ryuji: I didn't think of that, but...is there any meaning to -

Someone: I finally found you!

Huh!?

Ryuji: ...You say somethin'?

A black cat with white paws and blue eyes leapt onto the table where we were sitting.

Cat (?): Don't think we can get away with not paying me back for helping you.

Ryuji: That voice... Is that you, Morgana!?

Cat: How dare you, up and leaving me the other day!

Ryuji: The cat's talkin'!?

Me: So it seems...

After discovering that my phone could create a portal to another world, I had pretty much lost the ability to be surprised by anything strange or supernatural.

Probably Morgana: I am NOT a cat! This was just what happened when I came to this world! It was a lot of trouble finding you two!

"Not a cat," huh? Yep. Definitely Morgana.

Ryuji: Wait, you came to OUR world? (gasp...) Does that mean you've got a PHONE!?

Me: (heh)

Morgana: You don't need one when you're at my level. I did get pretty lost making my escape, though.

Ryuji: That aside, why can you talk!? You're a cat!

Morgana: How should I know!?

Ryuji: (to me) You hearin' this too...?

Me: Meow?

Ryuji: This is no time to be jokin' around!

Morgana: You guys are having a rough time of this, hm? I heard you mention something about witnesses.

Ryuji: Oh, shuddup.

Morgana: Y'know, I could tell you a thing or two about what to do about Kamoshida.

Me: Oh?

Morgana: You were pretty close just a moment ago.

Ryuji: God, that condescendin' attitude! This thing's gotta be Morgana!

Morgana: You were STILL doubting me!?

Ryuji: Aagh! Quiet down!

There were some guys walking around on the other side of the courtyard. Their voices drifted over to us.

"We really have to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this...?"

"I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn't you hear it?"

"Make sure you check every nook and cranny around."

Ryuji: "Meow...?" Does that mean only us two can understand what you're sayin'?

Me: Apparently...

Ryuji: What the hell's goin' on...?

Me: First another world, and now a talking cat...

Ryuji: Anyways, what you were talkin' about earlier... is it for real?

Morgana: You're quite the skeptic for being an idiot.

Ryuji: Hey, tell us more. Then again, this probably ain't the best place... (picks up Morgana roughly by the scruff of his neck) Here, stick it in your bag for now! It should be just small enough to fit!

Morgana: (annoyed kitty wiggle) Hey! How dare you treat me like-(plop, zip)

Of course I left the bag open a bit at the top so fresh air could come in.

* * *

On the roof! We let the cat out of the bag.

Morgana: Don't be so rough with me!

Ryuji: Enough of that! You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?

Morgana: It has to do with what Akira was talking about earlier. You'll need to attack his castle.

Me: How do we do that?

Morgana: That castle is how Kamoshida views this school. He doesn't realize what's happening in there, but it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart. Thus, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida.

Ryuji: What'd happen?

Morgana: A Palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more...

Me: His desires would go too!

Morgana: Precisely! You sure pick up things fast!

Ryuji: For real? H-He's gonna turn good!? But...is that really gettin' back at him?

Morgana: Erasing a Palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However. Even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain. Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of his crimes, and he'll confess them himself!

The worst punishment ever is the guilt you feel after doing something wrong. And if Kamoshida doesn't feel guilty after verbally and physically abusing his victims...

I nodded slowly.

Ryuji: You for real!? That's possible!?

Morgana: (nods) And since the Palace will no longer exist, he'll forget what we did there as well. Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won't even be a trace of our involvement!

Ryuji: That's amazing! You are one incredible cat!

Morgana: True, except for the cat part!

Me: Well, you can't really complain, because right now, your body is physically a cat's body...

Ryuji: Anyway! So? How do we get rid of the Palace?

Morgana: By stealing the Treasure held within.

Ryuji: Stealing...?

Morgana: I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It's my most valuable secret plan after all. If you want to help me out, I'll gladly teach you. What's your call?

Ryuji: Our luck's runnin' dry lookin' for witnesses... Guess we have no choice but to go along.

Me: Sure, let's do it.

Morgana: Good. ...Oh, right. There's one more thing I should tell you.

Me: Yeah?

Morgana: If we erase a Palace, there's no doubt that the person's distorted desires will be erased as well.

Me: Okay...

Morgana: But desires are what we all need in order to stay alive. The will to sleep, eat, fall in love...those sorts of things.

Ryuji: What're you gettin' at...?

Morgana: If all of those yearnings were to vanish, they'd be no different than someone who has shut down entirely. They may even die if they're not given proper care. So...?

Me: Whoa, hold on a second!

Ryuji: They might DIE!?

Morgana: Will you listen to everything I have to say first!?

Ryuji: ...Would their death be our fault?

Me: Yeah, it would...

Morgana: Aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?

Me: I don't know... I mean, he is a really terrible person, but I feel like killing him would be going too far. Call me a wimp, but if I killed someone, I don't think I'll be able to live with the guilt.

Morgana: Sheesh. I come all this way and this is what I get. It's not like anyone will ever find out!

Ryuji: That's not the point! If we just go around secretly doin' whatever we want, we'll be no better than that effin' Kamoshida...

Morgana: Isn't this your only option?

Me: I think I'll need some time to decide.

Morgana: Okay, I'll come back later. Make sure you've made your decision by then.

And the cat scampered off.

Ryuji: Man, we're gettin' all worked up for nothing... Dammit! I'll try and see if I can figure out another way. C'mon, let's get outta here.

And we left.

This is getting complicated. Also, Morgana never actually told us the odds that Kamoshida would die if we destroyed his Palace. A 50% chance? 75%? 99%?

Even though Kamoshida is a gross, ugly, abusive dickface who thinks he's a god or something, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of possibly becoming a murderer.

* * *

Ryuji-kun texted me once again as I was heading out.

SR: Hey I heard something that got my attention

SR: About that Suzui girl

SR: Looks like rumors are going around about her and Kamoshida

KA: what!?

KA: okay, this sounds incredibly suspicious.

SR: If theyre true its no wonder I couldnt get her to talk

SR: Still like you said...

SR: Something about that doesnt seem right

KA: yeah... i thought it was him and takamaki-san.

KA: well, at least people THINK it's him and takamaki-san.

SR: Yeah its just impossible

SR: Ive known Takamaki-san and Suzui-san since middle school

SR: Theres just no way Kamoshidas their type yknow?

SR: So I gotta wonder where those rumors came from

KA: yeah...

KA: i'm not sure yet, but i think i have a guess as to where the rumors are coming from.

KA: and...it's kind of bad.

SR: Okay man

SR: Ill try asking around more

KA: okay.

KA: good luck dude!

SR: (thumbs up emoji)

Oh no.

* * *

Whoa whoa whoa. Holy shit. Hold the phone. I just found something out, and it's really important and really serious. Not that what we discussed with Morgana wasn't important or serious, but this...this completes the puzzle. Everything falls into place. I understand now.

The Kamoshida puzzle is solved... and it's not pretty.

So I was switching trains, heading back to Yongen-Jaya, and guess who I run into? Takamaki-san. She was on the phone. With a certain someone.

Takamaki: Will you please give it a rest!? I told you, I'm not feeling up to it...

Takamaki: Wait, what...!? That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher!?

Takamaki: This has NOTHING to do with Shiho-san!

Takamaki: Ah!

Whoever was on other line hung up.

She sunk into a crouch, curled up into a ball and buried her face in her knees.

Takamaki: Shiho-san's...starting position...

It didn't take me very long to figure out who she was talking to.

I summoned my courage and walked cautiously over to her.

"Excuse me," I said. "Are you okay?"

She got up. "Wait, were you listening?"

"Yeah, I was. Sounds like something's wrong..."

"Haven't you heard of privacy?"

I don't know why my hands were sweating so much, or why my heart was pounding so fast. I didn't freak out like this when I talked to Suzui-san. I've traveled to another universe and stood my ground against hordes of monsters. What was so scary about talking to a girl - and why this girl in particular?

She sighed. "No, I was out of line. Sorry." She brushed a strand of golden hair from her face. "So how much did you hear?"

"Honestly, a lot," I confessed. "You were talking about Suzui Shiho-san...?"

"Shiho-san..." Her ocean-blue eyes were clouded with tears.

"What's going on? Are you being blackmailed? Is she being blackmailed?"

"No, no! It's nothing at all! Nothing..." Then she wiped her eyes and ran away.

I ran after her.

I found her in another part of the train station, facing a pillar, staring down at her phone. "Stop following me," she said. "Just leave me alone!"

Me: I...I can't.

Takamaki: Why...? Why do you keep worrying about me?

Because you're beautiful. Because I'm obsessed with your eyes and your hair and your voice. Because you smiled at me in the rain that morning. Because I don't want you to have to face your demons alone. Because I love you and I barely know you and this is really weird.

Me: (crinnnnnnge) I have no idea.

She started sobbing. Oh god what have I done.

I took a deep breath...

Me: Listen, I know you don't want to admit it, because we've barely even talked or anything, and maybe you're scared of me like everyone else is, or maybe you just don't want to be a burden, but in any case, something's obviously very wrong. I know we just met, and I honestly don't know why I'm doing this, but please trust me. Despite what the rumors say, I'm not a dangerous person, and whatever you're going through, I want to help in any way I can. So...can we go somewhere safe?

Takamaki: ...Alright. Fine. I'll tell you.

* * *

We ended up going to a Big Bang Burger. We sat down across from each other at a booth, and I fought the urge to demand she tell me what happened. I waited.

Takamaki: It was just an argument...

Me: No kidding. It was Kamoshida?

She nodded reluctantly. Her eyes were still clouded with tears. Her hands trembled slightly.

"You've heard the rumors, haven't you?" she began, her voice strained. She poked at her napkin. "About Kamoshida-sensei. Everyone says we're getting it on. But...that's so not true. That was him on the other line." Of course it was. "I avoided giving him my number...for the longest time... He told me to go to his place after this..." She crushed the napkin she had been fiddling with. "You know what it means..." I did know what it means. My suspicions were confirmed. "If I refused, he said he'd take my friend off as a regular on the team. I've been telling myself that this is all for Shiho-san's sake..."

This was both super heartbreaking and super awkward. The Worst Possible Combination.

Something snapped and she began to sob. "I can't take it anymore... I've had enough of this. I hate him! But still, Shiho-san's my best friend! She's all I have left at that sorry excuse for a school! Tell me, what should I do?"

I couldn't respond. My mind was clouded with a confusing cocktail of white-hot rage and a total lack of knowledge of how to respond.

Me: I...

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

...But my rage wasn't subsiding.

But if I don't calm down, I reminded myself, I won't be able to think of a way to help her.

The anger faded, but not completely. It was still there-vengeance for her suffering, burning brightly inside of my gut.

She's basically a stranger. Why do I feel so strongly for her?

Takamaki: Sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's not your problem.

Me: Don't say that.

Takamaki: What...am I saying? I've barely even talked to you before...

Me: Sorry for butting in...

Takamaki: No...this was all my fault.

Me: No, no, it wasn't! It was Kamoshida's fault! If there's anything I can do...

Takamaki: It's okay. I'm okay. ...You're so weird. Usually everyone just ignores me.

Me: Hah. I get that a lot. That I'm weird, I mean...

Takamaki: Hey...are you really a bad person like the rumor says...? You just don't seem like it...

Me: Oh, I'm bad to the bone. ;)

Takamaki: Heehee! Is that supposed to be a joke?

Me: Yeah...

Takamaki: I kinda had a feeling they were all just exaggerations. You seemed lonely-almost like you didn't belong anywhere... We're the same in that regard. Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to talk to you. (The pain returned to her eyes.) Is there really no way for me to help Shiho-san...? I wish he'd just change his mind... Like, forget about me, and everything... (She sat back.) Hah! As if something like that would ever happen.

Me: Well...there is a possibility.

Takamaki: (smiling!) I wasn't asking for a serious response. But... I do feel a bit better now.

Me: But I didn't even give you any advice. I just...listened.

Takamaki: Well, I guess that was all it took. Thank you.

Me: You're welcome. A...anytime. (Oh my god she thanked me)

Takamaki: ...I'm gonna head home. (She slid out of the booth we were sitting at, swinging her bag over her shoulder.)

Me: Wait! Um...it was Takamaki-san, right?

Takamaki: Call me Ann.

Me: Well then...call me Akira.

Ann: Alright. Don't tell anyone what I told you, okay?

Me: I promise I won't. Ann-san...it's nice to meet you.

Ann: Nice to meet you too. I'll try to think of a way to persuade Kamoshida. Well...thanks again.

And then she was gone.

* * *

Wow. I'm totally emotionally drained. I'm back at Leblanc now. Sojiro-san was a little annoyed at me for being so late, but he wasn't TOO mad.

SR: So whaddya think about what Morgana told us?

SR: I dunno if I get all that stuff about stealing desires...

SR: And Kamoshidas gonna turn out like brain dead if we mess up right?

SR: I mean sure Im pissed at him

SR: But I dunno if I really want to kill the guy

KA: honestly, i agree with you.

KA: even though he's a terrible person, killing him definitely seems a bit much.

KA: a bit...

KA: overkill? :D

SR: DOES THIS SEEM LIKE THE TIME FOR PUNS!?

KA: ...no...

SR: But anyway

SR: I mean maybe Im just freaking out but I dont wanna end up a murderer cause of this shit

SR: Oh well

SR: Ill try and see if I can come up with some other way tonight

KA: okay. good luck dude. see you tomorrow?

SR: C u tomorrow

And that was all for today.


	7. Entry 7 Part 1: Shiho's Sacrifice

Entry 7 Part 1: Shiho's Sacrifice

Friday, April 15, 2016

This is incredibly bad.

According to some girls' volleyball team members I heard chatting on the way to school, Suzui-san didn't show up to an important meeting they had.

Apparently, last night, she had been called to the PE faculty office by Kamoshida.

What have I done.

* * *

My first class was social studies, and, well...

Things happened.

Several things.

First, I was listening (pretending to listen) to Ushimaru-sensei's lecture about the branches of government and their checks and balances. (I already knew this stuff, and quite frankly, I could probably teach it better than him... but enough about that. Back to the story.) When suddenly, a cat head peeked out of my desk.

Morgana: Have you made up your mind yet?

Me: *What are you doing here!?*

Morgana: No matter how much thinking you do, there's only one option. You'd be better off just listening to me.

Me: *Don't talk, people will hear you! Also, what're you doing in there?!*

Ushimaru-sensei: Hm? Did I just hear a cat just now?

Morgana: ...MEOW

Me: ...*SHUT UP*

Ushimaru-sensei: Could that rumored cat be somewhere nearby?

An assortment of other students: A cat? I didn't hear it... Did you hear it? Oh no, I'm allergic... That's horrible! I'm so sorry! ...This might make things more interesting in here...

Ushimaru-sensei: Settle down! We're in the middle of an important lecture!

The next interruption was a text from Ryuji-kun.

SR: Its no use...

SR: I cant think of any other way...

KA: dude, are you cutting class?

SR: Yeah I am so what?

KA: but what about your grades?

SR: I cant deal with that shit right now! I mean whatre we gonna do about Kamoshida?

SR: Do we just gotta go along with what that cat says?

SR: Asasfsdss that damn fur ball

Morgana: If he only knew I'm reading this too...

* * *

Oh god.

Okay so, I wish I didn't have to write this part. I really, really am not looking forward to writing this at all. I don't want to relive this moment again.

But I have to. Because this third interruption was a pivotal moment.

A student stood up, then another. "Hey...what's that...!?"

Ushimaru-sensei: Enough! This is a classroom!

Yes, we all know what kind of room this was. But something was happening outside!

"Wait...she's going to jump!"

What!?

Mishima-san stood up. "Suzui-san...?"

Ann-san stood up. "Shiho-san!?"

My blood ran cold.

No.

No, no, no...

Ushimaru-sensei: Hey! Stay in your seats! Do not step foot outside of this room!

Too late. I ran out into the hall, where a small crowd had already gathered, and looked out the windows. There she was, perched on the edge of the practice building rooftop, balancing on the balls of her feet, like a bird preparing to take flight.

And then she stepped off the edge and fell like a stone.

And all I could think was, This was my fault.

I made this happen. I spoke to Ann-san last night. I comforted her. She must have gone home instead of to Kamoshida's, and Suzui-san...Suzui-san must have been the scapegoat. And knowing Kamoshida... Something definitely happened to her. He definitely called her to his office after school, and... he _definitely_ did something to her. He definitely did something horrible.

But if I hadn't done anything...

Then Ann-san might have been the one on that rooftop. She might have been the one who jumped. And that would've been just as bad. If not worse.

Ann: No... Why...? (sobs) Shiho-san!

She pushed through the crowd and ran towards the courtyard. Ryuji-kun and I ran after her.

Finally, we got past all the students who were filling the hallways, and made it to the courtyard, which was also crowded with students. Paramedics had arrived, and Suzui-san was in a stretcher. The onlookers weren't helping. They were all just standing around gawking and taking pictures. Ann was in the front. Her shoulders were trembling.

Ryuji: *What the hell's wrong with these people!?*

Me: *I know! What is this to everyone? Some kind of circus!?*

Paramedic: We need someone to go with her... Are there any teachers around?

Teacher: I'm not in charge of her class, though...

Other teacher: We should leave this to Principal Kobayakawa...

Me: *Is everyone just huge cowards, or do they not care?*

"I'll go!" Ann-san ran forward and kneeled next to her best friend. "Shiho-san..." she whispered. "Why...?"

Suzui-san lifted her head and said something. I heard "...can't take this...anymore."

"Shiho-san?" Ann-san was listening as Suzui-san whispered something to her. "...Huh? Kamoshida!?"

Surprise, surprise.

They loaded her into the back of the ambulance and took her away, leaving everyone to talk among themselves. "Did you see that? Her leg was totally twisted the wrong way!" "Her ribs were definitely broken!" "I wonder if she'll live. I hope she'll be okay..."

But not everyone was chatting. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mishima run away, like a soldier deserting his comrades on the battlefield or a murderer running away from the crime scene. What did he do...?

* * *

Actually before I go any further, there's something I just realized that I need to write down. Over an over again, I've been mentally replaying the scene where Suzui-san jumped. At first, I thought it was a suicide attempt. But her shoes were still on. There was no note that I know of, either. [Author's Note: In Japanese culture, before someone commits suicide, they take their shoes off and write a note to their loved ones.]

So when she jumped, she probably wasn't trying to kill herself. Instead, she may have been trying to make a statement.

And now, back to the story! Let's see how the PE torturer, I mean "teacher," responded to that statement.

* * *

We ran after Mishima-kun and cornered him in the guys' locker room.

Ryuji: Why'd you run like that? Huh!?

Mishima: I didn't run...

Ryuji: (punches a locker) She jumped and tried to KILL herself!

Mishima: ...L-leave me alone. (He was trembling.)

Me: Dude, you're not fooling us. We saw you run. We see how beat up you are. We saw you get spiked in the face by him during the rally. And it was obviously on purpose. Please just tell us, okay?

Ryuji: He's right! We ain't tryin' to get you busted. We won't say you talked either!

Mishima: Suzui-san... (He covered his face with his hands.) She was called out by Kamoshida-sensei!

Ryuji: (shock) Wait, WHAT?

Mishima: I was called on him a number of times too... to the teachers' room. It wasn't just me or Suzui-san either. He'd nominate someone when he was in a bad mood...and hit them.

I was honestly more angry than surprised.

Ryuji: So the physical punishment thing WAS for real...

Mishima: But yesterday, he called Suzui-san out of the blue. She didn't make any mistakes or anything...

My mind flipped back to yesterday's conversation with Ann-san. Kamoshida's lust for Ann-san. His advances on her. And his threats to remove Suzui-san from her starting position if Ann-san kept refusing to...sleep with him.

That fucking monster.

Mishima: Kamoshida-sensei seemed really irritated that day, so it must have been...worse than usual...

I was so angry, my hands were balled up into fists and trembling. Tears formed in my eyes.

Ryuji: He didn't...

Rape her?

Me: Oh no. He couldn't have...

Ryuji: (roars) That SON OF A BITCH!'

...and he ran off in the direction of the PE office, before I had a chance to tell him I'd made up my mind regarding Morgana's plan and that we were definitely, ABSOLUTELY going through with it. So Mishima-kun and I followed him.

* * *

Just as expected, there they were.

Near the door stood Ryuji-kun, standing with his feet spread apart and his knees bent, like he was about to participate in a street brawl. And farther into the room, hunched over at his desk, sat "King" Kamoshida himself, eying us.

Kamoshida: ...Huh?

I took a deep breath and adopted a posture that made me look calm and relaxed-back straight, fists in my pockets-and donned my best poker face in order to hide my fury. Acting skills, activate.

Ryuji: You BASTARD! The HELL did you do to that girl?!

Kamoshida: (waves hand in a "pshh, get outta here" motion) What're you talking about?

Ryuji: (kicks over chair) Don't play DUMB with me!

Kamoshida: That is enough!

And then, Mishima-san quietly spoke up.

"What you did...wasn't coaching."

Kamoshida turned around in his chair. "What did you say?" he snarled.

Mishima: You... You ordered me to call Suzui-san here. I can only imagine what you did to her!

Kamoshida: (stands up, advances towards us) You're going on and on about things you have no proof of... Basically, you're simply making these claims because you can't be a regular on the team, right?

I couldn't take it anymore. I casually strode forward. I accidentally let my poker face mask slip a bit, and I felt my mouth twist into a humorless smirk. "Actually, 'SENSEI,'" I said, before I could stop myself, "we're making these claims because we care about her. And as a teacher and a coach, isn't that your responsibility too? Aren't you supposed to care about the well-being of your team...instead of taking advantage of them, like we're pretty sure you did?"

His response was to punch me in the solar plexus, leaving me doubled over, gasping for breath. Apparently, talking to him wasn't going to make him feel any remorse.

"Even if it IS exactly as you imagine it to be," he continued, leaning over with his hand on his hips and staring Ryuji-kun in the face, "hypothetically speaking...what can you do? We just received a call from the hospital. Suzui-san's in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim. How would someone like that make a statement?"

FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCKKKKK I HATE HIM.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Poker face mask, reengage.

I said reengage.

 **No.**

...said Arsene from the back of my mind, his voice now a bestial roar of pure fury.

What the fuck, dude? Calm down!

 **Listen, Akira-kun. This man, Kamoshida, is not human. Perhaps he once was, but no longer. His soul has left his body, and Asmodeus, a demon of lust who taints the ground it walks on and devours the life force of every living thing it meets, now dwells in its place. Show Asmodeus that we see through its disguise!**

Well, I'd love to, but if we do, Asmodeus will kick us out. We're on thin ice right now, remember?

 **... Shit. I suppose you're right...**

Don't worry, Arsene. We will show him. You'll have plenty of space to vent your rage later today... in that other world.

Meanwhile.

"There's no chance of her getting better, I hear..." said Kamoshida, putting on an expression of pity that totally wasn't convincing me. "The poor girl."

Mishima: No... That can't be...

Ryuji: You GODDAMN (about to explode from rage)

Kamoshida: This again...? Does this mean we need to have yet another case of..."self defense?"

Ryuji: You shut your mouth, you son of a BITCH!

He raised his fist, but I stopped him.

Ryuji: Why're you stopping me?

Me: Dude, you need to calm down. ...and me too...

Ryuji: But STILL!

Kamoshida: Oh? You're STOPPING him? What a surprise. (Grins-clearly he's having a fun time.) There's no need to hold back. Why not attack me? Ohhhh, you can't! Hahahaha, but of course you can't! (He swaggers over to his stupid desk and writes something down on a stupid sticky note that he puts on his equally stupid laptop.) Everyone present right now...will be expelled. I'm reporting all of you at the next board meeting.

Oh. Well, so much for keeping my anger contained...

Ryuji: Wha?!

Mishima: You can't make a decision like that!

Kamoshida: Who would seriously consider what scum like you say? You threatened me too, Mishima-kun, so you're just as responsible.

Mishima: Huh?

Me: Wait, HOW did he-

Kamoshida: To think you didn't know why I kept someone as talentless as you on the team. You act like you're a victim, but you leaked his criminal records, didn't you? It's all over the internet, correct? How terrible.

Ryuji: ...Mishima-kun...!?

I was beginning to pick up the pattern. An idea was forming in my head of what had really happened.

Mishima-kun crumpled to his knees. "He told me to do it... I had no choice..."

Called it.

Kamoshida: Hahahahahahah! HAhahahahaha! Now, are we finished here? You're all expelled! You're done for! Your futures are mine to take! Now get outta my sight!

Ryuji: I can't believe this asshole's gettin' AWAY with this!

Me: No he's not.

Ryuji: What?

Me: *He'll eat his words.*

Ryuji: Huh...? Oh yeah, we have that!

Kamoshida: Huh? Have you lost your minds?

Me: I dunno, maybe. Or maybe everyone else has, and maybe Ryuji-kun and Mishima-kun and I are the only sane ones left. Something tells me it's probably the latter.

Kamoshida: I don't understand what garbage like you are planning, but go ahead and try. Enjoy your flights of fancy. All you can do is wait for your disposal, though...

Me: Oh sure. Yeah, we'll wait. Bye, (muttered under my breath, but just loud enough for Kamoshida to hear) you lousy goddamn stupid evil giant living pile of shit who thinks he's a king... Wait, what? I don't even know, I'm so tiredddddd.

*Slam.*

* * *

After school. In the courtyard. We've decided.

There's no other way to do this. No other way to take him down. We tried to convince the team members or the other teachers to talk about what had been happening. I even tried reasoning with him himself. But no matter what we tried, the king of Shujin Castle would not step down.

He left us with no choice. We're going to have to take the throne from him by force.

Ryuji: Okay! We can't waste any time! We gotta hurry up and go to that world and beat the shit outta that asshole!

Me: I don't care about the risks anymore, either. Let's go.

Morgana: Wait! We're not beating him up! We're simply stealing his distorted desires. So, you've made up your minds about this-about how he might suffer a mental shutdown?

Ryuji: We have. Someone almost died because of him! I don't give a rat's ass what happens to him anymore.

Morgana: And you?

Me: If we get him to confess, that'd be great. But honestly, if he does die, I don't think I'd care all that much.

Morgana: Then it's settled!

Ryuji: By the way, is gettin' rid of a Palace hard? You've tried it before...right?

Morgana: When did I ever say that?

Ryuji: ...Eh?... WHAT? Were you just pretending to know!?

Me: (scratching Morgana on the head) It's okay, man...we won't think any less of you if you don't actually...

Ann: Is it true that you're getting expelled? Everyone's talking about it...

Me: Oh... H-hi...(Oh no. Crush approaches. Remain calm. Do not break character. Must. Look. Composed.)

Ryuji: (snarls) That asshole's at it again... So you came all this way to tell us that?

Ann: If you're going to deal with Kamoshida...let me in on it too.

Really!?

Ann: I can't just sit there and do nothing after what happened to Shiho-san!

Hell yes! We'd love to have...oh right. She can't summon a Persona.

Dammit. :(

Ryuji: This has nothing to do with you. Don't butt your head into this.

Ann: But it does! Shiho-san's my-

Ryuji: I said don't get in our way!

Ann: (says nothing, just stares at us reproachfully, then leaves)

Morgana: ...That was harsh.

Me: Dude, no shit. Was that really necessary?

Ryuji: We can't take her somewhere like that...

Me: Still, I can sympathize with her. You know he's been trying to...oh right. Never mind.

Ryuji: ...Eh? He tried to what?

Me: (louder, while waving my hand dismissively) Nothing! Stop asking questions!

Ryuji: Okay, jeez. Whatever. Fine.

Morgana: I hope she doesn't torment herself over us. When it comes down to it, women don't hesitate.

Ryuji: We just gotta hurry up and deal with Kamoshida. Let's go already!

Me: It's official then?

Ryuji: Hell yeah!

And so, the quest begins.

We're doing it man.

We're making this happen.


	8. Entry 7 Part 2: Carmen's Wrath

Entry 7 Part 2: Carmen's Wrath

Friday, April 15, 2016 - After School

The alleyway near the school.

Morgana: The moment we cross over, we'll treat each other as Phantom Thieves, so I hope you're ready!

Ryuji: Phantom Thieves?

Morgana: Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure - that is what we'll become.

Me: Sounds exciting...like we're ninjas. Mind ninjas.

Ryuji: Yeah, it does sound cool! Okay, so... we just gotta say the school, Kamoshida's name, and...castle? Then we end up in bizarro world. (Takes out his phone.) How the hell's all this work? Someone make it?

Me: Probably. I mean, apps don't, like, grow on trees or whatever. The real question is who made it, and how, and why? But at least for now, we should really be focusing on the task at hand.

Ryuji: Right, right. We'll show that effin' Kamoshida!

Morgana: Let's go!

(WARP.)

* * *

We shifted into the other world. The castle appeared. Our costumes appeared. Ann-san appeared - wait what!?

Ann: What is this!?

Ryuji: Takamaki-san!?

Ann: That voice...Sakamoto-kun? And are you Kagetsuki-kun!?

Ryuji: Wh-wh-why are you here!?

Ann: How should I know!? What's going on? Where are we? Isn't this the school?

Ryuji: We're, uh...doing a school project!

Me: (at the same time) It's um...community service!

Technically, neither of those statements were false...

Morgana: (love struck gaze) Hmm... Maybe she was dragged in with us by the app. If multiple people can enter with the person who uses it, it stands to reason it'll pull in anyone nearby.

Ryuji: For real...?

Me: That makes sense, though, doesn't it?

Ann: Wait, so this is related to Kamoshida!?

Me: Yeah, this is... how did you figure that out?

Ryuji: A-anyways, you gotta leave!

Ann: NO!

Morgana: The Shadows are going to find us if you make a scene!

Ann: No way! It talked!? Oh my god, it's a monster cat!

Morgana: ..."Monster?"

Ann: You better explain what's going on! I won't leave until you do!

Ryuji: Looks like we gotta force her...

Me: I'm sorry, Ann-san! I'll explain it to you later!

And we dragged her back through the entrance.

Ryuji: We better be careful from now on when we use that app...

Morgana: You should've checked the settings you used! Why do I, the one who was just WATCHING, know more about than you two!?

Ryuji: Shuddup!

Actually, that's a really good question.

Ryuji: Geez, Takamaki-san found out right when we were startin' off... We gotta deal with this fast!

Me: I wish she could summon a Persona too. Then she could join us...

And we'd be near each other, and it would be beautiful... and we'd take down Kamoshida's Palace together, and then I'd offer to walk her home... and we'd start talking about our interests... and maybe, just maybe, we might even hold hands...

Ryuji: Uh...hello? Akira-kun?

Me: Oh. Oh yeah. Right. Cool. Let's go.

Morgana: That girl's name is Takamaki Ann, right? *sigh* Lady Ann... (hearts floating above his head)

And thus, a rivalry between Morgana and I was born.

* * *

So I'll have to summarize this part, because there's still a lot of really important and AWESOME things that happened today during our trip to the Metaverse. According to Morgana, Phantom Thieves can't call each other by name while on a mission, so we came up with code names for ourselves so that our target wouldn't know who we were. Morgana decided that I should be Joker, since I was a "trump card when it comes to fighting strength." I like it. Ryuji-kun decided on Skull, after the shape of his mask. For Morgana, we chose Mona, since Ryuji-kun called him "Monamona" earlier and it was hilarious. So, we have me (Joker), Ryuji-kun (Skull), and Morgana (Mona). Now, on to the cool part!

* * *

We snuck inside via a conveniently located hole in the wall, and peered around the corner into the main hall. Guess who we saw?

Shadow Kamoshida: Those intruders the other day were quite entertaining. However, I can't allow that trash to ransack my castle! Strengthen the security! Kill them on site! I'll reward whoever brings me their heads!

Horde of guards standing before him: Praise be to King Kamoshida! Death to the intruders!

Me: (hides behind door, stealthily extends middle finger in Kamoshida's direction)

Skull: *Hey, Mona. Can't we just beat the crap outta him and call it a day?*

Me: *I wish we could, but sadly, if we tried that, we'd probably die.*

Mona: *He's right! Look at all those soldiers, idiot! It'd be suicide! And I'm sure you don't want a repeat of last time! Besides, don't you want him to confess his sins?*

Me: *Right. So...where should we start looking for the Treasure?*

Mona: *It has to be somewhere in the depths of this castle. Let's infiltrate further in while he's out there!*

* * *

I just discovered that I can tame and summon multiple Personae.

We spotted a enemy, and Mona decided to use the opportunity to teach us how to bargain with Shadows after you knock them down and surround them. I asked the Shadow, which turned out to be this tiny, scantily-clad fairy, for money, but she admitted that she hadn't bought any. (Or so she said.) She was like "pleeeeaaase don't kiiiiillll meeeeee~" and I couldn't see any reason not to let her go, so I said "Okay." And then she said I reminded her of herself. Apparently, she had forgotten her true name, and by saying the right things, I had cured her amnesia. Little miss tiny racy fairy introduced herself as Pixie, and then my mask...absorbed her.

 **OMG excuse me? was that supposed to be an insult?**

 **what you just called me?**

 **"little miss tiny racy fairy?"**

No, it was... *facepalm* Shit, that was phrased badly...

 **you bet it was!**

...sorry... Anyway. Everyone, meet Pixie... who seems to have turned into a Persona.

 **hi!**

So apparently, not only can I have Arsene in my brain, I can also have other Personae too. By saying the right things to a Shadow, I can turn it into a Persona. Apparently, Mona hadn't even heard of this ability. "Only one soul exists per person, so normally a person can have only one Persona!"

I wonder why I'm the only one who can use multiple Personae. Maybe it has something to do with my experience in theater, playing lots of different roles. Still, I have to admit, this is pretty dang cool. My life has now turned into something sort of like a Pokémon game. Gotta catch 'em all... I guess?

* * *

We entered a section of the castle where the floor and walls were made of bricks instead of marble. Wooden pillars held up the ceiling. It wasn't quite as nice looking as the entrance hall, but it was still better than the dungeons. Maybe it was supposed to be the servants' quarters. Quite honestly, I had gotten used to the stench of barely-disguised body odor that filled the place. This was where I got my third Persona!

Remember the first enemy I fought-the flaming-lantern-holding pumpkin-headed guys who attacked me right after Arsene awakened?

I made friends with one, and it joined me. Its name turned out to be Jack-o-Lantern, which makes sense, considering it's a pumpkin.

 **hee-ho!**

 **heylo!**

 **i'm Jack-o-Lantern, ho!**

Something tells me it's about to get really crowded in my brain.

* * *

I also tamed one of those angry horned demon horses that attacked us right before Ryuji-kun got his Persona. It calls itself Bicorn.

 **...**

 **...Darn teenagers, always draggin' us off on their gosh darn escapades...**

 **...**

Sorry... you don't have to hang around here if you don't want...

 **No! Ya need my help, sonny! Yer barely level 4!**

Okay. Welcome to the club then.

We just found another safe room, which is good, because I'm starting to get sore from all this running around and fighting.

 **Hey there, Starting To Get Sore From All This Running Around And Fighting...**

 **I'm Bicorn!**

*Sigh...* You went there.

 **Yup.**

*golf clap*

* * *

In the safe room. (The safe rooms up here are a lot nicer than the ones in the dungeon. Actually, pretty much everything on the upper floors is nicer than in the dungeon.)

Skull: So how're we supposed to steal that treasure thing?

Mona: Don't be so hasty. First, we'll need to secure an infiltration route.

Skull: A what...?

Mona: A path to the Treasure's location. But honestly, I think we'll need a little more manpower to accomplish this. At the very least, one more person would be nice...

Like Ann... Yesterday, she had been in danger, and she had asked me for help. She was beautiful, and I had wanted to help her. But today, she had been determined to help us, even going so far as to follow us here, and that made me like her even more... I would jump at the chance to let her join us. If only she had a Persona...

Skull: Hello? Hey, Joker?

Me: ... Wait, what? Oh. Sorry, I was lost in thought. What were you saying?

Skull: Do you think Mona's really got amnesia?

Me: I don't know. But I trust him. Let's keep following him and see what ha -

Clunk Clunk Clunk

Me: Shhh!

Guard Shadow's voice: Still, why was the princess in such an odd place...?

Skull: "Princess?"

I had a bad feeling about this. I pressed my ear against the ornately carved door of the safe room.

Guard's voice: I could've sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder...

Other guard's voice: It doesn't matter now! We must take her back to King Kamoshida!

Something's wrong. Something's definitely wrong.

Skull: Who's this "princess" they're talking about?

Me: Hopefully not who I think it is.

Mona: I should probably look into this! (Dashes off to save the day)

Skull: And yet another question goes unanswered...

Me: For now, at least.

Skull: Stuff like the castle and that navigation app are mysterious...but Morgana's got 'em both beat.

Me: Yeah, but...code names, remember?

Skull: Oh, crap, sorry! What was I again? Oh yeah, Skull!

And suddenly... the daring hero returns from his exploits!

Mona: This is bad!

Skull: That was fast!

Mona: Your friend...Lady Ann! She's been taking by Shadows -

I ran outside.

Mona: Hey, where are you going!?

Me: (whispering) *Outside. I'm going to listen for her. She'd probably be calling for help, so I'll follow her voice.*

Mona: Wouldn't it be easier for me to just guide you to her?

Me: ...oh yeah. Okay, then, show us where she is!

Mona: Got it!

* * *

I don't know how she was able to go back to the castle, but somehow... she did. And now she's been captured.

The path to our target led back through the area paved with bricks. A doorway that had formerly been closed off by gilded spikes was now open. It was ominous.

Ann's voice: Is this some kind of filming? Who's in charge here!?

The sound was coming from the doorway. It led to a short hallway lined with empty suits of armor. There was a dark door at the end. One of the suits had been knocked down.

A sob echoed through the place.

Ann's voice: Look, I'll apologize for touching the armor without permission!

Skull: *sigh* She totally doesn't get what's going on.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

And guess who we saw? The members of the girls' volleyball team. They were sitting on the floor touching themselves and making porn noises, clad in nothing but their shorts. They did have that "Uncanny Valley" aura to them, though, like the bikini-wearing Not-Ann who was cuddling with Kamoshida after Ryuji-kun's powers awakened, so I could tell they were definitely fake.

Skull: This is effed up... Is that what he thinks of the girls' volleyball team?

Me: So he sees the boys' team as punching bags, and the girls' team as...sex dolls? (Slow shake of head.) Man... This guy should not be a teacher.

Mona: Hey, that's -

Me: Ann-san!

The room was lit by candles and draped in thick red velvet curtains-an insulting parody of a romantic atmosphere. And at the far end of the room-was Ann-san. Her arms and legs were chained to a gilded X-shaped cross that leaned against the wall-a saltire, like the ones used as torture devices in Europe during the Middle Ages. Or the one at the bottom of the well under Kakariko Village in Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

I tried to dash across the room, but I was stopped.

 **Wait.**

Fuck no! Not now! (I tried to run forward, but I couldn't. My legs felt like they were chained in place.) What the hell, dude, why are you not letting me move!?

 **You'll see.**

Oh really?

Ann: What's all this about?! I'm going to call the cops!

Guess who else was there? You guessed it...

King Kamoshida: So, this is the intruder.

He walked into the light, of the candles surrounding the cross, and looked up at where she hung.

Ann: Kamoshida!?

King Kamoshida was followed by Bikini-Wearing Robo-Ann.

Ann: Who's that? (indicates Robo-Ann) More importantly, what is this place? Why's the school turned into something like this?!

King Kamoshida: (to guards, who were also staring at Ann) I can't believe you mistook MY ANN for someone like HER.

He hungrily traced the contours of her body with his eyes. I entertained the idea of gouging his eyes out.

King Kamoshida: Are you afraid?

Ann: What is that outfit? Have you lost your mind?

King Kamoshida: I do as I please here. After all, this is my castle...the world of my desires.

Ann: (eyebrow raise) What the-!?Wait, is this some red light district!?

King Kamoshida: What a lively slave.

I wanted to leap out of the shadows and attack him, demanding he release Ann and show us where the Treasure is. But something held me back. Again.

Let me go!

 **Not yet.**

What!? Why!? We have to rescue her! Stop holding me back!

 **You don't understand the situation...**

No, more like you don't understand! She's probably going to get raped! And probably also die!

 **She will not.**

What!?

 **Trust me.**

Fuck you!

Ann: This isn't funny! Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida!

King Kamoshida: The girl's decided to tell me off. What do you think of that?

Bikini Ann: (looking at Kamoshida through hooded eyes) Talking back is like... so unforgivable...

King Kamoshida: In that case...she should be executed.

An elite-looking guard shadow in bronze armor walked towards the saltire to which Ann-san was shackled.

King Kamoshida: (smiles like the Grinch) Now then... how should I play with you? Shall I tear you into little pieces?

Ann: (defeated) Are you kidding me...?

I finally broke free of Arsene's hold. Or he let his grip loosen a bit. Anyway, we ran over there.

Ryuji: Takamaki-san!

Me: Leave her alone, King Dickface!

King Kamoshida: Just when I was about to start enjoying myself...

Ann: You guys!? Explain to me! What the fuck is going on!?

Skull: (to Kamoshida) You little...!

Kamoshida: How many times are you gonna come back!? (Turns to Ann-san) I bet you're just like those thieves. You came because you're pissed at me, huh? But, uh... ah, I forget that chick's name, but it's your fault she jumped, y'know.

Ann: ...Huh?!

King Kamoshida: You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place!

What.

So it's confirmed. I had a feeling, but now I know for sure.

Ann: You BASTARD!

This means...

He DID rape Shiho-san.

Okay, this guy is beyond redemption. He needs to just go away. Preferably to jail forever. Or to hell.

I prepared to attack, and...I was frozen. Again.

OH MY GOD! Do you want me to save her or not!?

 **AKIRA YOU ARE STUPID**

What...

 **STUPID STUPID DUMB**

You just quoted Homestuck at me, didn't you...?

 **Yes. Yes, I did.**

So seriously. She's in mortal danger. Explain to me... why am I still standing here?

 **She may be in danger, but she is far from helpless. Her Persona now stirs. Let it awaken.**

Oh...

Aha.

So I _am_ stupid.

But...will it though? What if it doesn't? How are you so certain?

 **Trust me.**

In that case...

This is going to be epic!

I stepped forward.

Me: Hey, King Turdface.

King Kamoshida: What do YOU want, peasant?

Me: Keep it up.

King Kamoshida: Excuse me?

Me: Go on. Keep talking to her like that. I'm sure it'll work out REAL WELL for you.

Ann: (confused, shocked expression, like what!?)

Skull: *What are you doing!? Why are you egging him on!?

Me: *You'll see!*

Skull: (raises his eyebrow)

King Kamoshida: Ahahaha! Now, everyone...just sit back and enjoy the dismantlement show.

Ann: No! Don't!

King Kamoshida: Maybe I'll start with her clothes...

Bikini Ann: Teehee, you're such a perv!

Me: That's not an admirable trait!

Skull: Hey, what're we gonna do!?

The bronze-armored guard approached her, sword at the ready...

Skull: Takamaki-san!

Ann: *Is...is this my punishment for what happened to Shiho-san...?*

King Kamoshida: That's more like it. You should've looked like this from the start.

Ann: Shiho-san... I'm so sorry...

Me: Ann-san!

Ann: *sniff* What?

Me: Don't just give in! Fight back!

She looked at me. I looked at her. Her blue eyes suddenly seemed to blaze.

Ann: ...You're right... Letting this piece of shit toy with me... What was I thinking!?

King Dumbass: It's like I always say... Slaves should just behave and-

Ann: _No._

Him: Excuse me?

Ann: _Shut up!_

And then...it began.

 **"My...it's taken far too long ~"**

The voice wasn't Ann-san's, but it was coming from her throat. It was like melted chocolate-smooth, rich and sweet. I got goosebumps. Her eyes flashed yellow and her mouth spoke her Persona's words.

 **"Tell me, who is going to avenge her if you don't? ~"**

Ann-san was writhing in pain on the saltire as her Persona struggled to break free, to manifest. The air had suddenly gotten warmer, dryer. It smelled like roses. It also smelled like fireworks.

 **"Forgiving him was never the option ~**

 **Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within ~"**

The room was hot. My eyes stung, as if the wind was blowing the smoke from a campfire into my face.

 **"I am thou. Thou art I. ~**

 **We can finally forge a contract ~"**

She went limp. Tears streaked down her cheeks.

"I hear you... Carmen."

Fwoosh! In a burst of blue fire, a red leather mask appeared on her face! It was shaped like the face of a big cat, with small, pointy ears and almond-shaped eye holes.

"Okay then," she said. "No more holding back."

 **"There you go ~,"** said Carmen through her.

 **"Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. ~"**

Blue fire burned away the shackles around her wrists. She stepped down from where she had been strung.

 **"Understand? ~**

 **Then I'll gladly lend you my strength. ~"**

She pulled her mask off and was engulfed by blue flames... and then her Persona, Carmen, emerged.

And whoa.

In the opera of the same name by Georges Bizet, Carmen is a free-spirited, seductive gypsy dancer whose sexiness leads two men to their demise, and this Carmen was clearly based on that. The entity stood behind Ann-san, holding her head up high. She was slender and tall (and she also had crazy boobs and hips). She wore a ruby-colored flamenco gown with a flowing skirt adorned with roses, and her face was hidden behind a leopard-spotted mask similar to the red one Ann-san herself was now wearing. There were also two small wimpy-looking doll-like male figures with heart shaped boxes for heads. She held one in her left hand, brandishing it like a weapon, while she crushed the other one under her high-heeled shoe.

Ann's clothes had changed, too. She now wore a blood-red skintight bodysuit with long pink gloves and dark red knee-high boots. There was a whip coiled in her hand. Zippers lined her outfit. A window of cleavage exposed the tops of her breasts. Her skin looked so soft and white...

As she glared at Shadow Kamoshida, I noticed that the calm oceans I had seen in her eyes earlier had disappeared. They were replaced by the color of blue fire-the hottest part of a flame.

You know, honestly, I might not be providing an adequate description of how insanely great she looked, because it seems like whenever I'm around her, my brain just short-circuits, and I'm reduced to an awkward, bumbling idiot...

But, okay, so, let me just be blunt. Ann-san is hot. Both literally and figuratively.

Me on the outside: Why hello there, you're looking quite nice.

Me on the inside: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH (*dies of blood loss from extreme nosebleed*)

Anyway! She leapt up, tackled one of the guards, and snatched the sword it had been holding. I expected her to attack Kamoshida, but instead, she slashed her bikini-clad doppelgänger in half, making it disappear into wisps of dark smoke. She dropped the sword and turned to the King, wielding her whip.

"You know what?" she said to him. "I'm not some cheap whore that you can just play with, you creep!"

King Kamoshithead: (completely speechless)

...

...

...Bitch!

Ann: Shut up! Shiho-san jumped off the roof because of what you did to her, and you...you didn't even care, did you?

She walked forward, whip at the ready. Kamoshida walked backwards, away from her, till his back was pressed up against the wall. I noticed, with great satisfaction, that the King was beginning to look a bit scared-intimidated, at least. He was trembling.

Kamoshida: ... I -

Ann: What you did to me, I could handle. But Shiho-chan...

She raised her whip.

Ann: You stole everything from her. So... I'll take everything from you!

Kamoshida: ...Guards! Get over here and kill them!

The guards gladly obliged. One wearing bronze armor charged into her, knocking her away from the king. She got back on her feet and retaliated by flinging a fireball that knocked the guard off his feet. The armored creature got up once again, and the two of them flew at each other. It was a stalemate. Ann easily avoided the bulky suit of armor's sword strikes, and her fireballs and whiplashes barely scratched the guard's armor.

She was beautiful...

"Don't just stand there," she shouted. "Help me!"

Oh yeah. Without further ado, I leaped up and ripped off the iron mask that hid the creature inside the armor. It melted into black goop and solidified, revealing a monster we'd never seen before-an ugly gargoyle, sitting on a toilet that floated in midair. Captain Kidd zapped it with a lightning bolt, Zorro and Arsene pummeled it with wind and darkness, and Carmen inflicted some serious third-degree burns on him. The fight didn't last long.

Toilet Demon: How dare you deny King Kamoshida's love, you selfish lass!? You'll all pay for this insolence with your lives! Prepare to meet your fa- (gets punched by Ann one last time, falls to the floor) How...could you... (dies)

Me: Anyone else want to try killing us?

King Asshat: ...shit! (runs away like a scared cockroach, followed by the rest of his guards)

Ann: Wait!

And then she crumpled to the floor, breathing heavily.

Me: (wincing, dropping to my knees alongside her) Oh my gosh! Are you okay? Is there anything I can-

Skull: (interrupts) Why'd you come here, man!? And more importantly, HOW!?

Mona: Hey! Is that how you speak to a woman!? (turns to Ann-san) Are you all right, Lady Ann?

Ann: ..."Lady Ann?" Wait, what is this thing? Is it alive...? How can it talk? And... where in the world are we!?

Me: Well... This is Morgana/Mona, who insists he's human but seems to be a cat; yes, he is alive, I think; we have no idea how he can talk; and...this may sound impossible, but we're in another reality. This is how Kamoshida views the school.

Mona: J-just calm down. Everything's going to be okay. Don't worry.

Ann: (gets to her feet, using Mona for support) How am I supposed to calm down!?

Suddenly, she noticed her sexy red cat ninja outfit.

Ann: ...huh!? Why am I dressed like this? When did I... ughhh, what's with everything!?

Me: It happened when you summoned Carmen. Um, and yeah, this whole situation does tend to be a little confusing at first, but...

Ann: "A LITTLE?"

Mona: Welp, I'm stumped... More guards should be coming for us soon. There's no time to explain. We have to retreat for now.

Skull: Awww man... We were just gettin' fired up, and you had to go and get in our way... Rgh, fine. Let's go.

And we warped back.

[You have returned to the physical world,] said my phone.

* * *

At the Aoyama-Itchome train station. Ryuji-kun had bought drinks for us out of a vending machine.

Ryuji: Which one you want?

Ann: Whichever's not carbonated. (She was still breathing heavily.)

Ryuji: Uhh, they're both actually.

Ann: :/ Okay...I'll have that one, I guess.

Ryuji: Here ya go. (hands the Coke to Ann-san, hands me the remaining Ramune)

Morgana: What about me?

Me: Dude...you're a cat...

Morgana: I am NOT!

Ryuji: But he is, though...

Ann laughed quietly, and I breathed a sigh of relief that the events in the castle didn't seem to have scarred her for life.

Jeez, I am so stupid. Why am I even writing about her? She's obviously out of my league. She's so beautiful and kind and passionate and badass, while I, on the other hand, am a delinquent with ADHD and chronic awkwardness and weird interests, and I don't even know how to talk to girls... especially to her...

 **Akira-kun.**

Yeah?

 **Ann-san may be closer to your league than you believe.**

Oh really? How do you know that?

 **As I said before. Trust me.**

Okay...

Morgana: Have you calmed down now, Lady Ann?

Me: (quietly) Pfff. "Lady Ann..."

Morgana: Hey!

Ann: Um...Morgana, right? I really am talking to a cat... This feels so strange... Oh, sorry! You're not a cat, right?

Me: So he claims.

Ann: So... explain. What was all of that?

Me: Okay, so. From what I understand, the castle is in an alternate dimension called the Metaverse, where cognitive stuff-thoughts, emotions, beliefs, etc-manifests. So Kamoshida thinks of Shujin as his castle, like he's the king and he's allowed to do anything he wants and everyone bows down to him, and in the Metaverse, poof, a castle appears. It's like...seeing the world through someone else's perspective, in a way.

Ann: ...Wow... Huh...

Morgana: (soothingly) It's only natural that you're confused. Demanding that you understand all of this right after what you went through is asking too much.

Ann: I'm not confused. I understand what you're talking about. But even so... Honestly, I can still barely believe what happened... And that power... My Persona...

Morgana: It's the will of your rebellion, Lady Ann. With it, you'll be able to fight in that other world.

Ann: So...why were you there?

Me: We were looking for the Treasure. It's like the central pillar. If we remove that, then in theory, the castle would disappear and Kamoshida would confess his crimes.

Ann: Wow... Is it really possible? Can we actually force him to confess?

Me: Yeah. Or so says Morgana.

Ryuji: And anyway, the volleyball team's keepin' quiet about this, while teachers and parents turn a blind eye, and if guys like us try 'n' complain, they're just gonna shoot us down. Goin' all in on this plan is the only choice we got.

Me: Well, it's either this or we don't do anything, and that second option is basically out of the question. So... you have a Persona now. So, um, you wanted to join us, right?

Ann: Yes! Let me help too! I want to make him pay for what happened to Shiho. He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did to her... I'll never forgive him.

Me: Ha, same here.

Ryuji: Wait, did he just invite you to join us? And you said yes? You mean you want us to take you along?

Ann: I won't slow you down! Weren't you watching? I can fight too.

Ryuji: (exaggerated eye roll, sigh...) All right...the girl can join our team. (Gets cat-slapped on the ear by Morgana) What the hell man, I was joking!

Me: No one laughed...

Morgana: Don't worry! If there's danger, I'll protect her!

Me: (snicker...that's cute)

Ann: Well even if you guys said no, I'd just go in alone.

Ryuji: Oh, right, she can go by herself... I guess it'd be more dangerous turning her down...

Me: We'll all have a better chance of success if we band together, so... yeah. Let's do it.

Ryuji: Rgh, fine...

Ann: Then it's decided. Well, I hope we get along! (She turned to me.) I'm going to make Kamoshida atone for what he did. Not just for Shiho-chan's sake...but for everything he's done. I won't let any more people suffer because of him. I'll do whatever it takes!

Then we all exchanged numbers. So now I can text her too.

*yay!* (^_^)

* * *

Back at the cafe.

We've chosen to let Morgana stay at Leblanc with me. He was a little disappointed at the messy state of the attic, but so was I when I first arrived, so we'll have to suffer together. Sojiro-san reluctantly gave me permission to keep him, as long as I take care of him myself, etc. Morgana's teaching me how to make lockpicks now. If someone in my hometown had told me that I'd learn how to make lockpicks from a talking cat, and that I'd discover another world via an app on my phone, and that I'd spend my first week in Tokyo infiltrating a castle in someone's mind, I probably would have asked what drugs they were on. But believe it or not, here I am.

It seems like Tokyo isn't a normal city. Or maybe 2016 isn't a normal time. Or maybe it's both. Whatever the case, if there's one thing I've learned so far, it's that anything is possible, so I should keep an open mind.

For now, though, I am exhausted and really ready to go to bed. Today was an emotional roller coaster at the very least, and after this, I think I'll need to rest. Bye, future people who will read this later. Write to you tomorrow.


	9. Entry 8: I Experiment with Drugs

Entry 8: Preparing for Infiltration

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Today, I had social studies class again. I tried to listen to Ushimaru-sensei's lecture about the Japanese constitution and its various articles, but I just couldn't stop thinking about that other world, the Metaverse, and all the possibilities it opened up. (Also, Ann-san and Carmen. Damn. *Sigh...*)

I didn't realize I had been tapping my foot on the floor during the lecture until Ushimaru-sensei yelled "Kagetsuki-kun! Stop tapping your foot! This is not tap-dancing class!" And he threw a piece of chalk at me. It hit me right in the forehead, much to the entertainment of my classmates. So...that was exciting, I guess...

Also, I got a paper cut from my notebook. Just now, as I was writing in it. So that was like the cherry on top of an already painful school day.

Fun times.

Anyhow... Ann-san, Ryuji-kun, Morgana and I met up on the roof again after school. Both Ryuji-kun and I wanted to head right into the castle, but Morgana was like, "No! We need to prepare! We need equipment and medicine and stuff!" I asked him why he had been so eager to go yesterday, when we didn't even have a fourth party member, and he got incredibly flustered. It was really entertaining.

Me: It's because Ann-san's a girl, and you want to keep her safe, isn't it? Are you in *love* with her? (Well, obviously, he is, so this was kind of a rhetorical question.)

Morgana: Um... yes! I-I mean no! Of course not! I mean, I want to protect Lady Ann, but... THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT OKAY?!

Everyone else: (stifles laughs; remains totally unconvinced)

Ryuji-kun said he knew a "kick-ass place" to buy weapons. (That scared me a little.) As for medicine, I remembered that yesterday evening, a young (read: hot), goth-looking woman with a spiky choker and lots of piercings had shown up at Leblanc. Sojiro-san had said that she was in fact a doctor who ran a clinic near the cafe. However, Sojiro-san had also said there were some strange and rather unsavory rumors flying around regarding her and her practice. Apparently, a lot of the medicines she prescribes, she makes herself by hand. I mentioned both of those things to Morgana, and he was like, "The rumors mean she must just be misunderstood! Okay, we should DEFINITELY go over there and talk to her! What could possibly go wrong?"

So... I guess we're going over there. To get medicines from a shady back-ally doctor. Who may or may not also sell illegal drugs in her spare time. What could possibly go wrong?

Hopefully, Morgana's judgement will turn out to be correct.

* * *

So I got the medicine and stuff...

And, well, it was an interesting experience.

I entered the tiny waiting room and went up to the front desk, where the doctor I met in the cafe yesterday was sitting.

Doctor: ...Is this your first visit?

Me: Uh...

Doctor: Hm? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before...

Me: Yeah, we met at Leblanc last night...

Doctor: Hmm... Well, whatever... So what are you here for today?

Me: Oh, right, umm... (Lying skills, activate!) Uhhhhhhh... I've been feeling lethargic lately?

Doctor: ...Fine. Please head to the exam room.

So I headed to said exam room, where I described my "symptoms" in more detail. I also scanned the walls for any sort of certificate or diploma-just to check to see if she actually knows what she's doing. Thankfully, she had one. "Doctor Takemi Tae, MD, PhD."

Takemi: In a case like yours, it's usually just due to stress. I'm going to prescribe you some pain relievers, okay?

Me: Oh. Okay.

Takemi: Actually, I still need to restock those... So let's go with sleeping pills. Sleep is the best medicine, after all.

Me: Wait... with all due respect, I'm honestly not sure if those would actually help...?

Takemi: (laughs) Which type of pill do you want, a sweet-tasting one or a bitter one?

By this time, I had figured out that she was messing with me. I decided to play along.

Me: Do you have...chocolate-flavored pills?

Takemi: Just kidding. Alright, why don't we stop beating around the bush-you're not sick at all, are you? I'm not as dumb as I look, you know. I'm guessing you're here because you've heard the rumors about me, huh?

I nodded.

Takemi: You're one of those patients with an ulterior motive, huh? (Sigh.) What's the world coming to...?

She paused for a moment, considering.

Takemi: Well, fine. I'll prescribe you some medication.

Me: Really?

Takemi: But only medicines that accelerate the healing process. Use them on minor scrapes, cuts and bruises.

Me: (nods) Thank you for your help. (Wow. Medicine to make physical wounds heal faster... I might take some to Mishima. No, scratch that, I'm definitely taking some to Mishima next class. If it works as well as I hope it will.)

Takemi: You're welcome. ...Yeah, I think I can trust you. You seem pretty earnest, and you don't look like you'll be any trouble. It's your responsibility to take care of yourself, so if that's okay with you, stop by anytime.

Me: Thank you again. This will really help.

Takemi: Great. It's nice that you're so quick on the uptake...Saves me the hassle. (Eyeing me.) You're a pretty weird kid, you know? I wonder what you're going to use the medicines for...

Me: (Oh shit...) Uhhhh... I could tell you, but I honestly doubt you'd believe me.

Takemi: (Raises her eyebrow.) Hmm... Well, as long as you don't cause me any trouble, it's not my problem. (She quickly wrote down some stuff on her clipboard.) All the medicines that I sell here are original. I have a license to make my own formulas. You may have seen them being sold at various hospitals and pharmacies. (She showed me the clipboard. It had a list of different medicines that I could buy.) These are the medicines I'll allow you to purchase at this time. Take your pick.

Huh.

I take medicine (Concerta) to help me focus during school. Obviously, I'm there in the office when my doctor prescribes it to me, and most of the time I go by myself to the pharmacy to pick it up (okay, now that I'm no longer living with my mom or dad, I'm pretty sure that "most of the time" has been upgraded to "all of the time"), so I think I know how this stuff is supposed to work. That said...

Me: One question.

Takemi: ...Yes?

Me: Is this illegal?

Takemi: ...Maybe just a little...

Me: (indicating what I wanted to buy) There aren't any harmful side effects, are there?

Takemi: Probably not. Quite honestly, I haven't tested it on anyone other than myself. You can be my guinea pig.

Oh dang, I thought to myself as I picked out some stuff from her selection. I'm going to be screwed if anyone finds out. This is such a mistake...

And then I noticed I wasn't feeling too guilty. Sure, I was worried about getting caught, but guilty? Not at all. I should feel bad about this... Why am I not feeling bad about this?

I pondered this question as I payed for the tubes of topical healing ointment I chose. I kept pondering as I walked back out into the waiting room, moving aside for the next patient, who was a rather nondescript-looking guy. He entered the exam room and closed the door behind him.

Takemi: (sounding a bit bored) What's the reason for your visit? Do you have a cold? Stomach ache? Athlete's foot? Whatever it is, you'll need to take a number...

Guy: ENOUGH of this!

Now I was paying attention.

Guy: You're the only one who could have developed that type of medicine!

Takemi: I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about...

Guy: Don't play dumb with me! Rumor has it, it's a drug so potent, it can give a person unlimited power!

Takemi: Really? That's news to me.

Guy: Developing experimental drugs, medicine, and herbal remedies violates all health regulations! Are you attempting to create a super-stimulant? A drug like that would only become a social issue.

Takemi: You're really persistent, y'know that? I'm just a quack...

Guy: The police may not be taking action, but I imagine the media will soon pick up on it. You intend to ruin my reputation again, huh? You're a disgrace to the medical community!

Ruin his reputation...again? What does that mean? Is he also a doctor?

Takemi: Tsk.

Guy: What's with the look? That was your mistake, was it not? I won't be responsible for your criminal actions!

Criminal actions?

Guy: Dispose of that "medicine" immediately and resign! The name Takemi Tae will never-hey, is someone there!?

Nope! Not anymore, we weren't! By the time the guy opened the door to the waiting room, Morgana and I had left the building.

A drug that would give a person "unlimited power?" That might prove useful at the Palace. Also, even though she seemed pretty sketchy, I'm actually inclined to trust Doctor Takemi. That other guy did mention something about her "criminal actions," but I highly doubt she's really a criminal. I bet her situation is more like mine-a victim of the corruption that runs rampant due to the laziness and apathy of the people of Japan. She might have even been blamed for a crime she didn't commit.

I was intrigued. Morgana and I agreed that we'd definitely stop by at a later date and inquire about the mysterious drug.

* * *

Right after I exited the clinic...

SR: Hey guys!

KA: hey, what's up?

SR: Yknow theres this shop in Shibuya that sells model guns

KA: let me guess...

KA: is this the "kick-ass place" you mentioned on the roof of Shujin this afternoon?

SR: Sure is!

SR: Ill take u over there tomorrow if you want

KA: sounds good. thanks!

SR: Sweet

KA: meet you at Shibuya station tomorrow morning?

SR: Sure!

TA: Hey, I can't make it... I made plans to go see Shiho-chan in the hospital, so tomorrow won't work.

TA: Can I trust you guys to check the place out for me?

KA: absolutely! you can count on us!

TA: Thank you!

KA: and ryuji-kun promises not to blow up more than one building.

KA: ;)

SR: Hey what is that supposed to mean?

TA: Lol.

KA: see you there!

SR: Why am I always the effin butt of all the effin jokes!?

She laughed at my joke!? (Well, I don't know if she did actually laugh, since she technically just typed "lol," and I don't think that usually counts, since most of the time people don't actually laugh out loud when they type that, and not to mention this joke was at the expense of Ryuji-kun, which is mean and also kind of cheating, since we can always make fun of Ryuji-kun...but still! She laughed, at least in text form! It's a start!)

Maybe Arsene was right. Maybe Ann-san really is closer to my league than I thought.

I texted her again. Not via the group chat, but personally. Ryuji-kun's input was unnecessary for this.

KA: hey.

TA: Hi?

KA: hi.

KA: so...

TA: What's up?

Aaaaagh. What do I say!? Or more accurately, HOW do I say it!? And not hurt her feelings or burden her!?

 **Stop worrying! Just go ahead and tell her!**

...said Pixie just now.

Okay, I'll do that. Here I go.

KA: i want to share something with you.

TA: Oh yeah?

KA: it's that...

KA: i wish i could come with you.

KA: to the hospital. to visit shiho-san.

KA: because honestly...

KA: i was partially responsible for her suicide attempt, right?!

Good job, Akira. Dumping all my pent-up psychological turmoil onto my crush, whom I was hoping to date but now probably never will. So there goes that potential relationship. Nicely done. Great job butchering that...

TA: What? Of course you're not! What makes you say that?

KA: well...

KA: i lied to you, sort of.

TA: What? Lied to me? About what?

KA: i suggested that you should try and persuade him to lay off you and shiho-san...

KA: implying that you might be able to reason with him.

KA: i saw the inside of his soul!

KA: even at that point, ryuji-kun and i knew how his brain works even better than he knows himself!

KA: and i knew that you wouldn't be able to reason with him.

KA: but i gave you a false sense of hope.

KA: thus setting in motion...

KA: what happened.

KA: so even though it probably wouldn't have been much better if you...

KA: ...had gone through with...it...

KA: i'm sorry.

KA: please forgive me.

Kill me now.

TA: What are you talking about!? It wasn't your fault at all!

TA: Of course I forgive you!

TA: Stop beating yourself up for something that you didn't do!

Or...

Or not, I suppose.

But what do I say now?

KA: thank you.

KA: i still would like to come with you to visit shiho-san sometime, though.

TA: Absolutely! If our schedules line up, I would gladly take you!

She would gladly take me...?

Does that mean...?

I...

I HAVE A DATE! (Or at least a potential, non-romantic one.)

(；ω；) -tears of joy

KA: sweet! and thank you for letting me metaphorically cry on your shoulder via text.

TA: Haha! You're welcome.

TA: I'm paying you back for Thursday, when you let ME metaphorically cry on YOUR shoulder.

KA: it was my pleasure.

KA: so, we're even now?

TA: Yep!

* * *

I'm back at Leblanc.

I tested some of Takemi's healing gel on the paper cut on my thumb. And guess what? It works shockingly well. My cut felt super itchy for about fifteen seconds, and then I looked at my thumb and it was like it was never even there. Wow.

Anyway, I bought six tubes of healing gel-one for each member of the team, one extra in case we run out, and one for Mishima to help with his bruises. I'll deliver it to him at school on Monday.

Even though we didn't go into the Metaverse, today (that last part especially) still ended up being an emotional roller coaster. For now, it's time to wind down. I'll do some homework, I'll read a bit, and then I'll go to bed.

Bye, readers. I'll write more tomorrow.


	10. Entry 9: I Obtain Dangerous Weapons

Entry 9: I Obtain Dangerous Weapons

Sunday, April 17, 2016

It's Sunday! Freedom! (Correction: Not yet. Theoretically, sure. For other students, maybe. But not for me. I may have finished all my homework from class yesterday, and I may not have school today, but Ryuji-kun, Ann-san, Morgana and I have a big group project to complete, and it's due on May 2nd-the day of the school board meeting. Of course, you know what "group project" I'm referring to. We have our work cut out for us.)

Last night and the night before, I had trouble sleeping. I keep waking up in the middle of the night to find a strange weight pressing down on my body. At first, for some reason, my half-asleep brain jumps to the conclusion that the thing on me is the pressure of Kamoshida's threat weighing down on my heart, but then I hear the purring, and I realize it's just Morgana. Sleeping on top of me. In typical cat fashion.

I'll eventually have to tell him to stop sleeping on me.

Anyway, today Ryuji-kun and I met at Shibuya Station like we planned. I followed him across Shibuya Crossing and through a series of progressively narrower streets lined with progressively more abandoned-looking shops. Until finally...

Ryuji: This is it. Looks pretty legit, huh?

We were in an alleyway so narrow it was pretty much a crack between two gray concrete buildings that had been decorated with graffiti. There were trash bags and bikes blocking the path. It sure didn't look like somewhere you'd find a shop. I didn't even see a door.

Me: So...where's the shop?

Ryuji: Right over there! (Points to a door, its window lined with bars behind the glass, perfectly disguised as a piece of the wall and hidden in the shadow of another building) Oh yeah, now that we're here...y'know anything about military stuff?

Me: (eyebrow raised) No...

Ryuji: Ah well... I guess worst comes to worst, we can just ask the shopkeeper what they recommend... C'mon, let's go inside!

Me: okay *gulp*(•_•;)

The first thing I noticed about the shop when we entered was that it was filled with guns. Like, literally, there were all kinds of guns everywhere. (There was also a bunch of melee weapons and armor and stuff, but the majority was guns.) And these didn't look like plastic nerf guns. To the untrained eye (mine), they seemed real, which was concerning, given that real guns are illegal. Thankfully, all the guns had orange rings around their...holes...? Tips? What do you call the place on the front of the gun where the bullet launches from...? (I know. I know so many things. I'm just the smartest.) Anyway, an orange ring means that a gun doesn't shoot real bullets, and all the guns in here had orange rings.

But according to Metaverse logic, all we have to do is take the orange thingies off of the guns, and we'll have real guns. They'll look like real guns, so in the Metaverse, they'll work like real guns, because the enemies will think that they're real.

The store was lit by a single bulb, and the walls were painted the color of stainless steel. This, coupled with the fact that the whole place was chock-full of guns, lent it a really intimidating atmosphere that made it feel like some sort of hidden armory for the military or something. There was this really surly, grizzled-looking dude sitting behind the counter, chewing on a lollipop and eyeing us suspiciously. I assume he was the manager.

Surly guy: (grumbles)...You lookin' for recommendations?

(I nodded)

Surly guy: ...I dunno, just buy whatever looks interestin' to you...

Ryuji: Ugh, some customer service.

Surly guy: Fine, whaddya want? An automatic? A revolver?

Ryuji: Uh, automatic...? Dude, why're you talking about cars now?

Me: I'm pretty sure that's a type of gun...

Surly guy: Listen, this here's an enthusiast shop. My regulars'll be mad if I let casuals like you hang around.

Ryuji: I'm not a freaking casual! I bought shit from here, like, last week!

Surly guy: Huh, can't remember you.

Ryuji: You bastard... (I snicker) Dude, don't laugh!?

Surly guy: (turning to me) What about you? Looking for somethin'?

Me: (Casually, as if I were at a grocery store asking where the produce aisle is) Yeah, I'd like to see the most realistic, most intimidating you have for sale here? Do you have, say...something that might make a grown man crap his pants? That kind of thing. (I had given up on trying to lie convincingly in situations like this, where there really wasn't any believable excuse I could think of that wouldn't make us look bad.)

Ryuji-kun looked at me.

The manager also looked at me. He seemed rather skeptical.

Surly manager: ...Oh? Heh...you guys plannin' a nice big bank robbery or something...?

Me: Yep.

Ryuji: NO! Th-that ain't it! We just like the way they look, is all!

Surly manager: Ahhh. So you're enthusiasts, huh? Well, you shoulda said so before. I'm always up for helpin' fresh faces. (He closed the magazine he had been looking at.) Some precautions first though. Don't go round pointing them at other people. Keep 'em in a bag or something when you're outside. Oh, and also, don't let the fuzz catch wind of you havin 'em. I don't need 'em comin' around here.

Me: We'll be careful.

Manager: You damn well better be. Now, you can tell by the orange rings that these are all models, right? But even if you remove em, if you look real close, you'd be able to tell the difference. Real guns feel...different. (He leaned forward, like he was going to tell us a secret.) I might show you kids the real stuff someday, though...if you got the guts for it, of course... But for now, you get the beginners' selection. Just sit tight, I'll bring 'em out.

He got up and went into the back room, then came out with a selection of various guns. I picked out a model handgun and Ryuji-kun chose a rifle. I texted Ann-san and asked what she wanted, but she said she had no preference, so I chose a submachine gun for her. Also, I bought a new slingshot for Morgana.

We now had everything we needed for the infiltration - our Personae, weapons, medicine, etc. We payed, thanked the manager, walked out the door and -

Ryuji-kun turned to me, a grin on his face. "Dude, hold on. I just saw something we gotta get."

Ryuji-kun led me back into the shop and over to a dusty shelf in the back of the room. "Check it out," he said. Sitting there on the shelf, covered in dust, was a brilliant red airhorn. ¥100, the tag said. I could pay for that. I brushed the dust off and held it up to the light.

"Whaddya think?" Ryuji-kun asked.

"It's a sign from the heavens," I whispered reverently, "that our mission has been blessed by the prank gods."

"Nice!" he crowed, laughing. "So we buyin' it or what?"

"Hell yeah!"

And now we have an airhorn.

* * *

Back at Leblanc.

Ann-san texted me outside of the group chat again.

TA: So I went to see Shiho-chan in the hospital...

KA: how is she doing? do they think she'll pull through?

TA: Her condition is stable.

KA: oh thank god.

TA: They don't know when she'll regain consciousness, though.

I paused, not sure how to respond without making her feel bad...

KA: i'm sure she'll pull through.

TA: Yeah. We just have to keep believing in her.

KA: and in the meantime, let's do our best to get the treasure and destroy the palace!

TA: Yeah. I'll never forgive Kamoshida. He's going to pay for what he did to her, no matter what.

KA: hell yeah, he will.

KA: oh and btw, i bought you a submachine gun.

TA: A what!?

KA: model gun. don't worry.

TA: Oh.

TA: Oh right! They work like real guns in the palace, don't they?

KA: yep!

TA: Thanks.

KA: you're welcome. good night!

TA: Good night!

Wish us luck, readers. Tomorrow, we begin the infiltration.

Good night.

* * *

Hi everyone! It's the author! Sadly, college has started once again, so I won't be able to update quite as frequently as I was able to over the summer, but I will be updating, so stick with me! Thank you for reading the story! Favorites, follows, and feedback are always appreciated! Look forward to the next chapter!


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